A Bullet for an Eye
by jaa162
Summary: Lydia Simpson thought that she was a normal girl, until Wesley Gibson shows up and bullets go flying. Now she's on the run trying to piece together a bigger picture and figure out where she fits. It also doesn't help that Wesley is distracting when he's shirtless...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Have you heard the news?  
Bad things come in twos.  
But I never knew  
'Bout the little things._

_-_Danny Elfman

* * *

As I laid there on the cold, damp floor, bloody and bruised, I began to laugh.

Yep, I laughed.

I laughed at how fucked up my life had become less than 72 hours ago.

I laughed at how I had got caught up in all of this mess.

Here I was, a 22-year-old community college student, lying on a floor, blood coming out of my nose and mouth, and how I had the deadliest assassins on the planet chasing my ass.

Me, an ordinary girl whose father left when she was 2.

Me, whose mother could barely hold down a job or a man.

Me, who graduated 10th in her class in high school.

So why me? What made me so damn special?

I don't know, but everything in my life changed when I met Wesley Gibson.

* * *

**AN: So this came to me while I was sitting around work bored. Then, I looked up the plotline for the Wanted video game, Weapons of Fate, and took elements of that storyline, the supposed storyline for the maybe-maybe not sequel, and meshed it with my own. I've been wanting to write this story forever, so I'm excited. **

**Please Review!**


	2. Meeting Wesley

**Chapter 1-****Meeting Wesley**

I stared at my notes in front of me and they were a jumbled mess. I had no idea what any of this meant. The sad thing about school is that you learn all of this bullshit, but you rarely use it once you go out into the real world. I still hadn't declared my major, and was in my second year, despite the fact that I was 22-year-old. I had taken a break after high school, until my dead-end job as a janitor at a nursing home was getting me nowhere and making me no money.

So, now I just walked the halls aimlessly, trying to figure out what to do for the next 50 or so years. My two friends, Jessica and Amy, knew exactly what they wanted to be and were due to graduate this year. Amy had even landed a job as an online marketing executive for Yahoo. Jessica was going off to Harvard to continue studying law. I had nothing.

I twirled my pen absently as the professor went on and on about Shakespeare and love and death. It was well known fact that even though Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story, it was still pretty stupid of two teenagers to kill themselves over puppy love. I mean, today, they would've been over in 2 seconds after they screwed each other, and then Romeo would've Facebook Stalked her until they reunited at the 20 year reunion.

My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket and I pulled it out. It was text message from my mom. She was staying in Chicago for "work". Ever since her new boyfriend got her a job as a secretary for one of his friends, I barely saw her. She spent more time with that corporate bastard than me.

Then, everyone jumped as the fire alarms went off. Everyone began shuffling out of the room and I stuck with Amy, who was also in my class. We went out into the hallway until five men dressed in SWAT uniforms stopped us in our tracks.

"Get down! Get down on your knees!" one of the men told us.

"What in the world is going on here?" our professor demanded.

"It's none of your concern, old man. Everything is under control. We just need to speak to Lydia Simpson."

I froze. Me? What did I do? I was a janitor, a community college student, and raised in a broken home. I was 5'4, 135 pounds, had short, chestnut hair, and big brown eyes and a round face. I was nobody.

I stood up slowly. I didn't want anyone to get hurt since I could tell something was off about the guys. "I'm…Lydia Simpson. What do you want?"

"We need you to come with us."

"Why?"

"Because-" Before the man could finish, he collapsed to the ground dead. There was a small hole in his forehead. Everyone screamed and began taking off in the opposite direction, me included. Behind us, gunshots rang out and it made everyone run faster.

Suddenly, I tripped and was pushed to the ground. The crowd had disappeared behind the exit doors and I was alone. I could hear the sound of gunshots and I heard a body hit the ground. Footsteps began to approach the corner, and I quickly got to my feet. The water fountain next to me suddenly exploded and a stream of water burst free from it, soaking my clothes.

I wiped my damp hair from my face and backed away as a figure approached me. I felt my back hit the wall and a man with steel blue eyes stared at me. "You have no idea how long it took me to find you. Those guys gave me hell back there, but it was to be expected, I guess."

"Who are you? Who are those guys? What do you want?"

"Long story short: I'm Wesley, those were assassins, not SWAT, and what I want is what they want. _You_. Or what you have."

His face was awfully close and his breath on my face sent shivers up and down my body. He wasn't particularly attractive, more average-looking at best, but his eyes were a bright blue that pulled me in like a moth to a flame. I noticed the wife beater underneath his faded leather jacket was damp, and I could see his abs pulsing through them.

I managed to pull myself together and asked, "What I have?"

Wesley stepped back a bit. I let out a breath of relief. His eyes were suffocating me and his closeness was making me uncomfortable. "Yes. Listen, I'll explain on the way, but we need to go. Now!"

Wesley grabbed my hand and pulled me through the double doors. My feet nearly failed to keep up with him since he was so quick and much fit than I was. Soon, we approached a silver, raggedy Toyota Rav4, and I hesitated at the passenger door.

"Get in!" Wesley ordered.

I shook my head. "Why should I trust you? How do I know you won't kill me after you get what you want? How do I know if you're the good guy and they're not?"

"I never said I was the good guy. And neither are they. They've killed as much as I have but at least I know that I won't kill you. I can't promise that they won't. Now get in."

At that moment, the mirror on Wesley's side shattered and bullets lit up the back of the car.

I hopped inside and buckled myself in. My eyes widened as Wesley reached for a gun underneath his seat. He took the safety off, and fired at the black Mercedes behind us.

Wesley hit the gas as the back of the Mercedes hit the pavement and the driver lost control. The Mercedes hit another car and flipped over.

I looked at Wesley in horror. "What are you?"

"I'm an assassin," he replied as we speeded out of the parking lot.

* * *

**AN: So please review! More to come!**


	3. Kill Order

**Chapter 2-**Kill Order

Wesley turned out onto the street and soon we ended up on the highway. I clutched my seat for dear life as he flew in and out of cars. He even ran a few red lights.

"Where are we going? Where are you taking me?" I asked nervously.

"I'm trying to shake them off," he answered, glancing up at the rearview mirror.

"Who?" I glanced at the side mirror and spotted two vans speeding up behind us.

"Dammit!" Wesley muttered under his breath. Then, he rolled down his window and fired a few bullets at the vans without looking. One of them pierced the window of the van on the left side and it veered off course. I guessed that he killed the driver.

The other van was speeding up to my side of the car, and they shot the back windshield out. I screamed.

Wesley took a sharp turn left at an upcoming intersection and I winced as my head hit the window. The van followed us and Wesley hit the gas. Then, he threw out his arm in a weird curve, and the van behind us screeched along the ground as its front tires went out.

"Wesley!" I screamed as we were approaching another red light. Wesley pressed the gas even harder, and our back left tire went out just as we passed through the intersection.

The van was still rolling along, until an 18-wheeler ran into it and it burst into flames. I stared at the carnage in horror as Wesley turned the truck right. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths as I felt my body panic. My chest felt heavier, my eyes strained, and my whole body was shaking. Soon, my whole body felt as if it were filling up with water, and I waited for the numbness to set in as it always did.

"Do…you have an…inhaler or something? I think I'm having a panic attack. Can you take me to the hospital or something please?" I begged as I tried to catch my breath.

Wesley didn't say anything for a while, and I could feel the numbness set in and my heart rate begin to slow down. I realized that it was growing quiet outside and I opened my eyes.

Wesley was driving down an alleyway and soon parked the car in front of a garage. He turned off the engine and looked at me. My eyes slowly glanced his way.

"How do you feel now?" he asked.

"I…I feel…fine."

Wesley stared at me for another moment and then he climbed out of the car. He walked toward the garage, took out his gun, and shot the lock off of it. He lifted it up and revealed a red Ferrari. He entered it and backed it out of the garage. Then, he rolled down his window and I noticed he was wearing sunglasses.

"At this point, you have two options. You can sit there, and let them or the police find you, or you could get in this car and let me explain everything on the way to your house."

"What? Are you nuts?"

He didn't answer; he only rolled the window back up. I sat there for a moment and weighed my options. I still didn't know what was going on, and I didn't want to deal with the police, so I only had one choice left. Too bad it was the craziest one.

I sighed and hopped out of the truck and joined Wesley in the car. The windows were tinted, the leather was shiny, and it had that new car smell. I wondered if it was his car, or he just knew of the person he was stealing it from.

Wesley smirked as he revved up the engine and the car speeded out of the alleyway. "Put these on." He handed me a pair of aviator sunglasses.

I put them on without questioning him. "Okay, I chose you, because, well, obviously I'm crazy. So, explain. What the hell is going on?"

Wesley sighed and asked, "Where do you live?"

"On Keys Drive in Melany Parkplace. Don't change the subject."

"I need to know where I'm going. I'm sure they've already beaten us there."

"WHO?" I yelled at him, impatiently.

"The Fraternity. The Fraternity is a league of assassins. There are several branches all over the world. I was part of the one based here, the Chicago Fraternity. They recruited me, trained me, and taught me everything I need to know about killing."

"But they're trying to kill you now, aren't they? You did something."

Wesley was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "Yes. And I thought that I would right that wrong, by killing everyone that was a part of the Chicago Fraternity. However, I only opened a can of worms. That's where you come in."

"How?"

"I was doing some digging and learned of a kill order that went missing 20 years ago. A kill order is the name of the person that fate decides to put to death. The Fraternity follows it no matter what, and no matter who it is. However, some of our leaders didn't like the names that were coming up, so they would change it to suit them."

"Meaning they corrupted the system so they wouldn't be killed, right?"

"Yes. My father, who was a member of the Fraternity, discovered this was happening before I was born. It began a civil war among the Fraternities. One of the leaders, the Immortal, killed my mother. But I learned that this kill order may have his name on it, which might be why it has been missing for two decades."

"…And what does that have to do with me?"

I could see that we were reaching my neighborhood. It was only a matter of time before we ended up at my house. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Two member of the Paris Fraternity broke into my old apartment and I made them tell me everything. Apparently, your father stole the kill order and hid you away after you were born. He claimed that you died during your birth, but it was lie to throw off the Immortal. The Immortal tracked you down and offered a reward for your capture," Wesley explained glancing at me for a brief moment.

I think I had stopped breathing. _My father was alive? And he's an assassin? Possibly? _I didn't want to believe that everything that Wesley said was true; it was obvious he was leaving a few details out, but everything else added up. But why now? After all these years, why come after me now? Was it because of what Wesley did? Did his actions cause some sort of chain reaction?

"So, is that why you're protecting me? You want the kill order so you can clear your name and collect the reward. So you'll just toss me to the lions then, huh?" I demanded.

Wesley said nothing.

"Stop the car."

"What?"

"STOP THE CAR!"

Wesley pulled over into the parking lot of a park, and I jumped out right before he stopped the car. I spotted my house on the other side and made a break for it.

"LYDIA!" Wesley called out but I ignored him.

I barely stopped when a car passed me and went through my gate and ran up the steps. Our house was an old white townhouse, with a small backyard and an above ground pool. It had 2 bedrooms and one bathroom that mom and I shared.

When I reached the door, I realized that it had been kicked open and I slowly made my way inside. A lamp was broken right in the door way and I carefully stepped over the glass. I peered into the doorway of the living room and saw that it had been ransacked. I quickly made my way through the kitchen and saw that it had been ransacked as well.

The house was a complete mess. I took off the sunglasses so I could completely survey the damage. I ran upstairs to check out my room and mom's. Hers was a mess, but mine looked way worse.

My bed was overturned, my drawers were practically hanging off of my dresser, and all of my clothing was spread out on the floor. I just crumpled to the floor and tears began to sting my eyes. I felt so lost, and I didn't know what to do. Who could I trust? Who was good and bad?

That was a hard answer, since both Wesley and my dad had killed people. The people who were after me killed people too. How could I trust a band of killers not to kill me?

I wiped my face just as I heard a creak down the hall. I froze and tried not to move. The sad part about the house was that you could hear every movement. Even if I ran to the closet, it wouldn't save me.

The creaking got closer until I heard the soft footsteps approaching my room. My heart was pounding quickly and my hands were clamming up. I closed my eyes and braced for the sound of gun going off near my head.

Instead, the footsteps paused and I heard Wesley whisper, "Lydia, are you ok?"

My eyes flew open. "Yes, but what are you doing here?" I asked in my normal voice.

"SHHHH! They're in the basement. Did you find it?" he asked in a whisper.

I shook my head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for," I whispered back.

Wesley put his gun behind his back and helped me off of the floor. I clutched his jacket tightly as I steadied myself and he pulled out a piece of cloth from his pocket. There were tiny dots strewn throughout the cloth. "This? This is a kill order? But it doesn't make any sense!"

Wesley clamped his hand over my mouth and dragged me into the closet. He placed a finger over his mouth, and I remained silent. A minute later, we heard voices emerge from downstairs as a door was shut.

"It's not here. I knew it wouldn't be here. We have to find the girl. She's the only one who could possibly know where it is," a thick Spanish accent said frustratingly.

A deeper voice asked, "But she's with Wesley Gibson. He's looking for it too. Why don't we just wait for them to show up?"

The other voice snorted. "Because that would be the obvious…wait, where did these sunglasses come from?"

I gasped and I knew Wesley was staring at me with pure hatred. I had left the glasses on the counter in the kitchen. I had exposed us. The first voice began to lapse in Spanish with the other voice and I heard the click of their guns. Their footsteps went off in different directions, and my blood froze as one of them began to ascend upstairs.

Wesley drew out his pistol, and I backed away a bit, before stumbling over a box. I could practically hear Wesley roll his eyes at me in the dark. "Stay here," he whispered and he exited the closet.

I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall, and it was silent for a good 3 minutes. Then, the bullets began flying. I began searching the closet for something until I found a bat. I had taken up baseball for a month in elementary school and it had just taken up space in my closet since then.

But I didn't know how to wield a gun so this was the next best thing. I slowly exited the closet as a bullet pierced the door to my room.

"Give it up, Gibson!" the Spanish voice taunted.

More bullets rang out and I heard a female whimper. Footsteps ran down the stairs and they were followed by another set. I ran to the window and stared down. I tried to decipher if the fall from the second story would kill me, until I heard the click of a gun.

I dropped the bat as I heard a gun of off. I opened my eyes when I realized that the gunfire had resumed downstairs. I turned around and the person holding the gun at me looked no older than 18. He was taller than me, had an average build, and pale skin. He also had freckles on his face, thin lips, and scared green eyes.

"So you're alive then? I knew we would find you here, but she didn't believe me. She thought that Gibson would've taken the kill order from you and shot you dead. But she was wrong. She was wrong!" he grinned.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kyle. I was in Spain studying abroad in Barcelona when they recruited me. Then, they sent me back to the states to find you. Lydia Simpson, the only person in 20 years to have seen that kill order. You know where it is don't you?"

"NO! How many times do I have to tell everybody that I…" my voice trailed off when I noticed a picture of mom and me at the beach in a broken frame on the floor. I pulled it out from the broken glass and stared at it for a moment. _Mom._

In all this time, I hadn't thought of her, if she was in danger or if she knew what was going on. Something about the picture spoke to me and then it hit me…I think I know where the kill order is.

Kyle knew that I had figured it out, as he lowered his gun. The gunfire downstairs was still ongoing, but I was caught up in my own revelation. "You know where it is don't you? Tell me, and we can be on our way."

"I….well, I don't…exactly…" I stuttered.

"Don't play dumb. You know. Just tell me and this can be over for you. I can convince her to let you walk away from this. The kill order is all we came for. Well, that and Wesley Gibson's head."

"What?"

"He didn't tell you, did he? Wesley Gibson is number one on the Fraternity's blacklist for killing several Fraternity members, including Sloan, one of the leaders, and his own father. He also has a 10 million dollar bounty on his dead body," Kyle explained.

"So that's why he wants the kill order, isn't it? To clear his name and lift the bounty? He doesn't care about the reward," I murmured. _Or me, for that matter._

"I guess so, but-" Then, Kyle fell to the ground dead with a bullet in his forehead. I covered my mouth and jumped back a bit. Wesley came around the corner limping a bit, pistol in hand. A small stain of blood on the left side of his abdomen was growing bigger.

I backed away and crumpled the picture in my hands. Wesley limped over to me clutching his side. He gave me a quick examination with his eyes and then I asked, "You just had to kill him didn't you? What about the other one?"

"I shot her in the leg and stomach to slow her down, but she'll be up here in no time. We need to get out of here. I know the police are on their way, too. They'll find us-"

"And you'll be dead," I finished.

Wesley nodded and I grabbed my bat as I followed him out of the room. My heart went out to Kyle as he was just caught up in this as I was. I don't think he ever killed anyone, ever. Maybe he was just trying to prove something.

Once again, I didn't really know why I was following Wesley after I just watched him kill someone. I just had this feeling that following him was the right thing to do. However, I was afraid of what would happen when we found the kill order. There would be nothing to stop Wesley from putting a bullet in my head.

We were at the door just as the police turned down my street. "Dammit!" Wesley groaned and he winced as more blood began to seep out of his wound.

I ran into the kitchen and pulled out all of the spray cans I could get my hands on, and turned on the oven and stove. The police pulled up in front of the house just as the woman crawled out of the living room. She aimed her pistol at Wesley but he moved out of range and she missed.

I grabbed Wesley's hand as she shot at him again and headed for the back door. We barely made it out of the house as it exploded and we were thrown onto the ground.

I blacked out.

* * *

As I regained consciousness, I tried to regain feeling in my body, but it was stiff. I felt a was covered in concrete from head to toe. I moved my pinky and soon it broke out of its hold. I lifted up my body with all of the strength I had and felt the concrete shatter like glass into the water. I realized that I was lying in a bathtub, and all I had on was my bra and underwear.

The room looked abandoned with dusty windows, bare walls, and empty floors. I pulled myself out of the tub and winced when my bare feet touched the cold floor and the cold air hit my body. There was a towel hanging on a chair along with a pair of dry sweatpants. I quickly changed into the sweatpants and matching hoodie and went out into the hallway.

I roamed around and realized that I was in an abandoned church. I soon heard voices and knocked on the door to what seemed to be an office. Wesley opened it and sighed in relief, "You're awake."

I blinked at him. He was shirtless and his upper body was still glistening. The place where he had been shot had disappeared. You would have never known he had been shot by looking at him.

I realized that I was staring so I glanced away. "And you're, um, not bleeding anymore."

Wesley pulled me inside. "It's something I learned from the Fraternity."

"Oh." I didn't press as an elderly man with a grey spiky hair, a receding hair line, and stern eyes. He looked me up and down and I began shuffling my hands through my damp hair.

"Lydia, this is Pekwarsky. He's a former member of the Fraternity, and an ally of my father," Wesley said in a neutral voice.

"It's nice to meet you…I guess," I said as I shuffled my feet. _Oh great, another assassin._

"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Simpson. You've cause quite a stir among the Fraternities. I must say you do remind me of…never mind. I'm sure she's long dead by now. Anyways, I hate that we're meeting under these circumstances, especially after receiving the news."

"What news?" I glanced between the both of them.

The two men exchanged looks before Wesley sighed. Then, he said, "We've just learned that…your mother has been kidnapped."

* * *

**AN: So I just let myself write on this one. So yeah, a lot is going on for our poor heroine. So the next chapter I'm gonna try to dig more into Wesley's psyche and develop Lydia and Wesley's relationship more. She trusts him even though she doesn't want to, but she feels he's the safest choice that she has right now. I still have some more twists and turns so stay tuned!**

**Please Review!**


	4. Reflex

**AN: Sorry for the delay. I went on vacation for 2 weeks. But I'm back! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3-**Reflex

_WHAT_!

I had to grip the table that held all of the supposed surveillance equipment on it while I processed this news. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone I cared about got caught in all of this. I took deep breaths to calm myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wesley extended his hand over before he dropped it. I didn't think too much of it.

After a few more breaths, I finally asked, "Who took her? Where is she?"

Then, the cell phone beside Pekwarsky's computer began to buzz. All of our eyes darted to it. Pekwarksy picked it up and handed it to me. "Ask him yourself," he said.

I took it and glanced at Wesley uncertain. He nodded and I flipped it open. "Hello?"

There was a short pause before a deep voice with a slight Russian accent answered, "Hello, sweetheart." Pekwarsky began typing on the computer and the screen popped on. I noticed that there were sound waves on display. He was recording the conversation.

"Who are you? Where is my mother?" I barked.

"Tsk. Is that how you talk to your father?"

My blood froze. _My father? _"You're…my…."

"Yes. Sad that we finally get to talk after all these years under these conditions. But, yes it is true. And, I'm the man that is keeping your mother safe."

I paused, not expecting that. So, I asked, "Safe? How is she safe?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the Immortal…" I didn't speak for a moment, so he took it as a confirmation. "Well, he is very ruthless and persistent. I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted her blood on your hands."

"Where is she? I want my mother back," I demanded.

"In due time, dear daughter of mine. First, I need the kill order. You find the kill order, and meet me in L.A. for the exchange."

I snorted. "Why should I trust you? I know what you've done. You're an assassin."

He sighed. "Because you're my blood. I promise you that from here on, I won't lie to you. I _will _make sure that your mother remains safe at all times. I _promise_."

I looked to Wesley and Pekwarsky. They both nodded to me and I said, "Fine. But I want to talk to her."

"You will, but she is being transported to an undisclosed location as of now. When she is settled, I'll have her give you a call. I suggest you keep this phone close. This is how she and I will be able to reach you."

"Fine. But wait, I don't know your name. What should I call you?" It was too weird and he seemed like the type of man that I would have a hard time calling "Daddy".

"My name is Walter Xavier, but I am best known as Mr. X."

"Well, Mr. X, it was, um, nice speaking to you, I guess."

"A pleasure, my dear Lydia. Oh, and Gibson, keep both eyes open. And take care of my daughter."

Wesley's eyes widened a bit, and he said, "Will do," loud enough for Mr. X to hear it. I hung up afterwards and slumped to a crumpled mess on the floor.

Pekwarsky ended the recording and shook his head. "After all this time, he's still alive. He and Cross had it out for each other for years. I'm sure he is not happy about you associating with his daughter," he said to Wesley.

"_If_ that is even true. He could be lying to us," I retorted.

"That may be true as well. Only time will tell."

"So where do we start? Where should we start looking?" Wesley asked me.

I ran my fingers through my hair and shrugged. "I don't know exactly. Although, I had found this picture with me and my mom on it and I had a feeling."

Wesley began shuffling through some papers near the computer, and then he pulled out the photo I had found at the house. "This one? I found it sticking out of your back pocket when I brought you here."

I stood up and grabbed it from him. "Yes, this one. I was about ten or eleven, and we were on vacation in Malibu, I think. Near the beachhouse my mom would rent."

Pekwarsky asked, "What significance does the picture hold?"

"I don't know, but I think that, maybe, my mom hid it away. Everyone thinks that I have the kill order, right? But what if my mom knew or Mr. X told my mother to hide it away for him while they were still together. I lived in my house since I was little and by the way it was searched, the others would have found it. But what if my mother expected that, so she hid it somewhere else."

"The beach house," Wesley realized. I nodded in agreement.

"Do you remember the address?" Pekwarsky asked pulling up a program on his computer.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't been there since I was 12 probably. It might look completely different now, or not even be there."

Pekwarsky began typing furiously and then there was a ping. I leaned over his shoulder to look at the screen and so did Wesley. Pekwarsky replied, "This is an email from my great nephew. He works with computers so I asked him to agree to help us. He will try to locate the house for us. I'm afraid it will take him a while, as he has other work to attend to."

"I understand, but we _do _have assassins trailing our asses. Maybe he could speed up the search a bit?" I asked.

"I'll ask, but no promises. In the meantime, I suggest you get some rest."

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving Chicago. _Tonight,_" Wesley answered as he left the room.

* * *

I wondered around the church until I reached the main room. I sat in the congregation and stared at the faded wooden cross on the wall in front of me. I wasn't very religious, but this was far beyond me. This crazy world of assassins, car chases, explosions, kill orders, bounties, and kidnappings were something that I had trouble grasping.

It didn't seem like real life, but it was my life now. Before, I figured my life was boring and stagnant, and now I felt as if I were in a video game, hyped up on Red Bull. I had no clue how to get out or how to win. Would I make it out of this crazy world alive, even if we did find the kill order?

And what of my father and his sudden reappearance? Pekwarsky was shocked that he was still alive, so I assumed that he was presumed dead for a while? If so, what happened? Did he fake his death? And what of him and my mother? What was the history there? I had so many questions that I needed answers to.

I finally got up and went to a small room by Pekwarsky's office that was bare except for a cot. I climbed in and wrinkled my nose at the sour smell. My body had been running on adrenaline for so long, that now I could relax and get some real sleep. I was unconscious within minutes.

I woke a few hours later, to Pekwarsky and Wesley arguing. My mind was still hazy, so it took me a few minutes to understand what they were saying and arguing about.

I kept still in my cot as I overhead their conversation.

"_The girl should remain her for her safety! If she dies, then the kill order will be lost…"_

"_She's the only one who knows where it possibly is! And she's wrong, and then we'll keep searching, dammit! While we're gone, I won't let her out of my sight! I won't let _him_ get to her," Wesley growled._

_There was a pause. "Don't use the girl to get revenge on the Immortal, Wesley. Your father may have made some mistakes, but he lost a lot for those mistakes. I know he wouldn't have wanted to lose you too. This was to be between the two of them. He kept you away from all this for a reason."_

"_You said he wanted me to live. Well, this is me, living. I'm going to take back control of my life and this is where it starts. I'm going to avenge my father and mother. I owe it to them."_

"_Don't do it, Wesley. I'm warning you. The Immortal is a ruthless man who craves bloodlust. The only reason he has not come after you both himself is because he has something bigger in mind."_

"_Or he's waiting for us to come to him. He's testing us. Testing me."_

"_You are your father's son, so he may well be. But do not underestimate him or the others out there. It may be the end of you."_

"_I can't underestimate. I'm an assassin." _With that, I heard Wesley leave the room and pass by my room.

So, Wesley wanted his revenge on the Immortal. Maybe that was the real reason why he was still around. I guess he hoped that by finding the kill order, he would be able to finally confront the Immortal and avenge his family.

I climbed out of the cot and entered Pekwarsky's office. Papers were strewn everywhere and so were shards of glass. I made sure to avoid it.

"Pekwarsky?"

"Did you get a good rest?" he asked turning his chair around to face me.

"Uh, yes. The best I could get."

"That's good to hear. You have a long journey ahead of you. Wesley's gone to get a vehicle. He should be back shortly."

"Okay. Have you found anything so far? About the beach house?"

"I'm afraid that it is more difficult than it seems. He has to find the right database, search 10 years back, and then try to find the address. Assuming that it hasn't been erased and your mother didn't use an alias. But from what I've heard, that might be the case."

So, basically, he was trying to find something out of thin air. Great. "I, uh, overhead you guys arguing. Is everything alright? Not that it is anyways, but…"

He waved his hand noncholantly. "It is fine, Lydia. I was just…concerned about Wesley escorting you to another location. While my nephew tries to track down that beach house, I've been using some of my old connections to keep track of the Immortal's whereabouts. I just got word that he was traveling to New York from France."

I leaned against the desk beside him and crossed my arms. "Why?"

"I am not sure, but it is very dangerous for you now that he is stateside. I am considering leaving myself."

"So, what is really the problem with Wesley?"

He was silent for a moment and then he reached out for my hand. I slipped it into his and he clutched it tightly. "Wesley has been through many things, and lost a lot of people. Just be very careful, and do _not_ get attached to him. This world changes you and you see and do many despicable things. I do not want a young girl like yourself to get caught up in it, despite who your father is. He is a dangerous man, and so is the Immortal, and so is Wesley. _Do not forget that. Do not get attached._ "

I wanted to ask more, but then Wesley knocked on the door. He was wearing black jeans, and a tight long-sleeved grey shirt. He was also holding a shopping bag. Pekwarsky let go of my hand and turned back around to the screen.

Wesley glanced at his head before lifting up his hand and rattling some keys. He jerked his head outside and I walked out into the hallway after him, careful to avoid the glass once again. His face was neutral as he held out the bag to me and I looked inside. The clothes were new as they still had the tags.

"Go get dressed. We're leaving in 15 minutes." Then he walked off behind me.

"Thank you!" I called to him, but he kept walking.

* * *

While I was getting dressed, I had a thought. Surprisingly, it wasn't how Wesley knew what my size was, as I should have wondered, but another intriguing thought came to mind.

Once I was dressed in the black leather jacket, strapless black dress, and black boots that Wesley bought me, I put the sweats in the bag and went to find him. Pekwarsky's office was locked and the light was off, so I guessed that he left after all, except for the cell phone that he taped to the door. I took it and put it in the bag.

I heard some rustling down the hall and went to investigate. The light was on and I walked quietly down the hallway and peeked inside. Wesley was inside by his bed, putting some clothes into a small suitcase as well as some other items. Another case was open on the floor, filled with guns, knives, and what seemed to be a few possible explosives.

I tiptoed into the room and snuck up behind him. As I reach my hand out to touch his shoulder, he spun around, grabbed my arm, and pulled me down onto the bed all in a less of a second. Then, a gun was pointed at my forehead. My eyes were wide and my heart was pounding fiercely. Wesley had his whole body on top of mine, his knee pressing my stomach and constricting my breathing.

"What do you think you're doing?" Wesley whispered to me.

"I…was…" I muttered, trying to get the words out of my scrambled brain.

"This isn't a game, Lydia. I could've put a bullet in you a second ago without thinking about it. You came in here for something. What did you want?"

"I…want you to train me," I breathed out.

Wesley froze for a brief moment, and then he moved the gun away from my face. He rubbed his face, and shook his head. "No, you don't want this. You don't to end up like me. Trust me."

I sat up. "But I _do _want this, Wesley! I need to defend myself. I can't keep playing the part of scared little girl who needs saving. _I want you to train me_," I said, defiant.

Wesley stood up and held out his hand to me. I took up and he helped me to my feet. His eyes dared me to back down, to change my mind, but I was not. I wasn't going to back down, no way.

Then, I saw the defeat. He said, "Well, it's about time you grew some balls. Fine, I'll train you. Just know what you're getting into. It's gonna be gruesome and hard. When we start, I'll give you one chance to get out, but that's it."

I smiled. "Thanks, and I'll do my best."

"It's not gonna be fun, you know. It won't be a trip to Disney World."

"I'll deal with it," I retorted.

Wesley stared at me for a bit, and then he said, "Alright, first lesson. Being an assassin isn't just about guns or killing. It's also about power and control. Learning your instincts and using them."

"My instincts?" I asked as I sat on the bed.

"Yes. Remember yesterday in the car? You thought that you were having a panic attack?" Wesley asked as he continued packing.

I nodded. "Well, it wasn't. Because your father is an assassin, you've inherited his natural instincts for killing. What I'm saying is that the panic attack is actually your body flooding your system with adrenaline. The adrenaline then enhances your sight, speed, strength, sound, and reflexes. After some time, you will learn to control it like I did."

He didn't say anything more and I stared at him as he continued packing. Veins were beginning to stick out of his forehead and his eyes were stern so I assumed he was deeply focusing on something.

"Who taught you?" I asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked looking up at me startled.

"You said that you were trained to be an assassin, so I'm asking who taught you?"

Wesley looked down, and then out the window. It was dark outside, except for the streetlight shining through. "It doesn't matter now. I learned what I needed to know. That's enough."

He was hiding something. "Wesley…"

"It's done! I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Wesley snapped as he zipped up the suitcase. I raised my hands in defeat, and he zipped up the case on the floor and carried them both out of the room.

I had obviously hit a sore spot, but I wanted to know more. If I was going to be a part of this world, I wanted to know everything I could.

Starting with Wesley himself.

* * *

**AN: How do you think training is gonna go for Lydia? What did you think of the identity of Lydia's father? (AKA the man Cross killed at the beginning of the movie.) What's next for Lydia and Wesley you think? **

**Please Review!**


	5. Second Lesson

**AN: Thanks for the lovely reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4-**Second Lesson

I woke up to green blurs passing in front of my face. I shifted and soon began piecing together where I was. I was sitting in the passenger side of the car as we made our way west. Wesley was driving, his hands gripping the wheel tightly and his eyes focused on the road.

The sun was beginning to peak out on the horizon so I knew it was still morning. I had only been asleep about 3 hours. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Where are we? What time is it?" I asked.

"We're about 40 miles from Springfield, Illinois and it's about 7:30 A.M. We'll stop and get food and gas and then when we hit St. Louis, we'll switch cars and keep going," he answered.

"Which is where exactly?"

Wesley shrugged. "Wherever we get to."

"That doesn't answer my question," I retorted as I crossed my arms.

Wesley smirked. "Then you ask too many questions. Just trust me."

I sat back in my seat and looked out of the window. After a few minutes, I asked, "Did you have a life before the Fraternity?"

Wesley shifted in his seat and it was quiet for a while. I kept staring at him until he glanced at me. "What?"

I gave him a pointed look. He sighed, "Yes."

"That's it?"

"Yes, that's all you need to know."

"But-"

"Listen, there's nothing. My life was utter shit. So, there's nothing to tell. Why are you so curious anyway?"

"Because we're gonna be stuck together for a while, so we might as well get to know each other, right?" I propositioned.

Wesley was silent. After a few minutes, he said, "Alright, I tell you about my past."

I eyed him. "Details and all?"

"Yes, but you'll have to earn it."

"Earn it? Wha-How?" I asked as I sat up straighter.

"If you don't pussy out of your training, I'll tell you more about me," he explained.

I see. It was an incentive to keep me going. Now, I was beginning to regret asking him to train me. No telling what it entailed, but I was done being shot at.

"Okay, deal." I held out my hand. He leaned over and shook it with the one that wasn't holding the wheel.

"Deal."

As the day went on, we followed Wesley's agenda: only stop for bathroom, food, and gas. We soon changed cars by the time we hit St. Louis, and I just read a trashy romance novel that I picked up along the way.

It was about an oil tycoon that witnesses a murder and is sent to live with a young, single mom as part of the witness protection program. Of course, by the twelfth chapter, they start banging each other's brains out. I had to put it away for a while by the time we inched toward Arkansas.

I turned to Wesley and asked, "Are we there yet?"

Wesley shook his head. "No, we are not playing that fucking game. Not today."

"But-"

"No."

"BUT there's not anything remotely interesting to look at," I gestured outside. We were driving through some fields since Wesley had decided to get off of the Interstate and take some back ways and the sun was beginning to set.

"Are you always this fucking annoying?" he asked me.

"No, but I'm fucking bored," I shot back.

Wesley didn't say anything, but he shocked me when he pulled off of the road and down a dirt path. There was an empty house a short ways up, and he stopped the car.

He turned the engine off and got out of the car. Then, he went over the house slowly and examined it. I glanced around in confusion.

He disappeared to the back of the house and I got out of the car. A few minutes later, Wesley emerged and made his way over to me. "What the fuck was that?" I asked.

"It looked abandoned, but I was making sure that it was. I think the owners left not too long ago. There's some canned goods left in the basement and a few pieces of furniture inside. We can stay here for the night," he said as he began pulling some bags out of the car.

"What? Are you sure that's safe? What if they come back?"

Wesley gave me a look. Oh, yeah, I forgot for a second. _He kills people._

I shifted as Wesley went back and forth between what bags to take out. Finally, he settled on one and told me, "Follow me."

I did as I was told without question. We went behind the house, and I noticed that the back door's handle was hanging off. _Of course._

The house was mainly empty, except for a lantern that Wesley had turned on for light. He handed me a flashlight and motioned for me to continue following him. We ended up in what was formerly the kitchen and then we passed a series of doors before Wesley found the one he was looking for.

He opened it and motioned for me to walk down first.

I shook my head. "Uh-uh. No way. You go first."

Wesley rolled his eyes. "It's fine. Just go."

I bit my lip as I slowly made my way down, the sound of my shoes echoing throughout the room. The basement was bare, except for a moth-eating sleeping bag in the corner and a pile of canned goods stacked in another.

Wesley followed me down and then pulled out a chair from behind the stairs. He took off his jacket and I backed away as he stretched a bit.

"Whoa, okay, is this…is this where you kill me?" I asked, half-joking.

Wesley briefly smirked in response, but shook his head. "You know the answer to that. This is where we begin your training."

"What?"

"Well, I can't exactly do this in a hotel room, can I?"

Plus we were trying to stay under the radar. Made sense as to why he would take a back road and stop at an abandoned house. No one could hear me scream.

I took off my jacket and threw it to the side. "Okay, how do we start?"

Wesley opened his arms. "I want you to give me your best shot. Try and hit me as hard as you fucking can. Don't hold back; I can take it."

I hesitated. Then, I began swinging my arms. It was rather pathetic, as Wesley dodged all of my movements. Then, he took my right arm, put it on his shoulder, and used my weight to swing me over him and onto my back. I cried out at the pain.

Wesley hovered above me and said, "Second lesson: Pain is your enemy and your friend. You have to feel it to get stronger, both physically and mentally."

I nodded and rolled over on my stomach after Wesley released my arm. "Try and hit me again," Wesley ordered.

I began swinging again, only for Wesley to dodge me, and come up and sucker punch me in the face. I staggered back and tasted blood in my mouth.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I yelled as I spit out some blood.

"I told you. It's gonna be fucking brutal. You have to learn hand-to-hand combat as well as weapon training. Both are crucial," he explained.

"Just so you know… _I hate you_," I growled.

Wesley actually laughed. "Sorry but it wasn't my intention to be _liked_."

"Good…then we're on the same page," I agreed before I tackled him.

I quickly learned that that wasn't a good idea either.

* * *

**AN: So training has begun! I really wanted to get in there because Wesley's training started out the same. He did go a bit easy on her, but not too much. Plus, writing their banter was pretty fun, too. Will Lydia prove herself to Wesley and earn his trust? What do you think will happen next?**

**Please Review!**


	6. Rough

**AN: So this chapter is short, but college is starting for me, and I'm still working, so I wanted to give you guys a little more of Lydia and Wesley. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**-Rough

By the time our sparring session was over, I was sore all over. My right eye was black and bruised, my ribs felt as if they were possibly broken, and I spitting out blood.

Wesley emerged from upstairs and asked, "How do you feel?"

I gave him a look. "You asked for it, and I delivered. Can't say I didn't warn you," he replied.

"You beat the crap out of me," I mumbled.

"But I didn't kill you. I purposely hit you where you wouldn't have internal bleeding, but I had to make you feel the pain."

"Why?"

"Because when you get out there, they won't hold back. You'll feel pain, and so much that…you'll wish for death to come. I know."

"Is that what happened to you? They beat you senseless?"

Wesley looked down, but his lips twitched. "Until it was practically carved into my skin."

"But why?"

"Because I was a pussy. I was afraid of myself and what I was capable of. No one had pushed me before and I didn't know what it felt like until then. But once you let yourself go, it can be freeing. No cares, no fucks about anything. You feel invincible."

I nodded, and then opened my mouth to ask another question but Wesley silenced me. "That's all you get for today."

"What? But it was just getting good!"

"And if you decide to keep going tomorrow, I'll tell you more."

I huffed and proceeded to go upstairs where the bath was waiting for me. Wesley followed me and I asked, "How does this stuff work? Where did you get it?"

He didn't say anything at first, but I just stared at him. "Fine. It speeds up the healing process so after a fight, you can heal and be back on your feet within hours."

"…So you can go back out there and kill more people," I realized.

He didn't say anything, but I took that as a yes. "Lift up your shirt," he ordered.

I covered myself, suddenly shy. "Uh, no! I just met you the other day, and…"

"So I can see your bruises," Wesley interrupted.

"Oh," I answered and then, I painfully and slowly removed the dress from my body. I felt awkward standing there in my underwear as Wesley looked me up and down. But it wasn't lecherous; more like he was evaluating me like a doctor would.

Then, he suddenly took a step forward, and on instinct, I stepped back, my backside hitting the wall in the tight space. I winced at the bruise on my back. Wesley's hand reached out and softly traced the bruises around my ribs. There were bruises on both sides so his fingers slid from one side to the other as if he were painting a canvas with his fingers. Every touch made my body tingle with electricity and I didn't want him to stop.

My breath caught as his fingers moved up my side and to my shoulder blade, where he circled the bruise with his index finger. Then, his fingers slowly slid up to my neck before finally resting on the bruise on my cheek. Our eyes were locked on each other and my heart was pounding fiercely.

My eyes glanced down for a brief moment, and a flash of me kissing him crossed my mind. My eyes moved back up to his and I realized he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at the wall.

"Wesley?" I called out in a small voice.

He came back and dropped his hand from my face. I inched forward but he stepped out into the hallway. "Just…I'll be back in a few hours to check on you," he said and then he walked away.

I shut the door, trying to think about what just took place. Before I was sore, now I was tingling. I could still feel his fingers tracing my body but for a second, I wanted it to be real.

No, wait. This is crazy. I can't think about us like that. Wesley is my trainer and mentor. That's it. After we find the kill order and head our separate ways, I'll never see him again, right?

I can't let the lines blur again, and I was sure Wesley probably wouldn't allow that to happen either.

_Right?_

* * *

Later that night, I climbed into my sleeping bag, my body fully healed. There was still some coloring from the bruises but I wasn't sore.

When I entered the living room, I realized that Wesley and his sleeping bag were situated by the front door while I was by the kitchen. I wondered if he did that on purpose so we wouldn't be close to each other or if it was so he could be at the forefront if intruders showed up.

I didn't deliberate on it much as I wanted to sleep. But Wesley wanted to look at a map while he cleaned the guns and went over his inventory. It caused a good bit a noise.

I rolled over and asked, "Do you do that every night?"

"It helps me clear my mind. Some people meditate; I do this," he answered, not looking at me.

I rolled my eyes. It's not like I was naked. I was wearing some baggy grandma pajamas clearly bought from Wal-Mart.

"Ugh, well it's annoying. _Some_ people are trying to sleep," I said.

"Sorry, I'll try to keep it down," he replied. He carefully set a pistol back into a case without making any kind of noise.

"Thank you," I said as I rolled back over.

* * *

The next day, Wesley woke me up at 5 A.M. to get a head start on the road. I groggily got up and dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a baggy t-shirt as I waited for Wesley. He had gone upstairs to change and had the car already packed.

I snacked on a granola bar and stared at the ceiling, bored. My mind wandered to the family that once owned this place. Did they choose to leave or were they running like we were running now? It seemed like the only thing I knew how to do was run from my problems anyway.

I stood up and dusted my pants off and began to head outside until something collided with my back and sent me on my stomach. I coughed and rolled over to face my attacker.

"Wesley! What the hell? It's too early for this-"

"You have to be prepared no matter what. This is a part of your training, using your mind as well as your body. Someone attacks you from behind has an advantage over you already. You have less than 2 seconds afterwards to make the next move. What's your plan?" he asked standing over me.

I immediately tried to kick him the groin, but he expected that from me so I flipped myself over to kick him in the chin. I landed on my feet, stunned, and he wobbled back a few steps. I glanced up at him, and his expression was both impressed and surprised.

"How…why did I do that? I didn't even know I could do that…" I said bewildered as I ran a hand through my messy hair.

"I think it was your instincts kicking in. You did as I said…you threw me off guard. I'm…impressed," he said with a smile.

I clapped happily. "You're doing good. We'll need to work on more hand-to-hand combat, but I think we can start on target practice," he said to me.

My smile dropped. "Wait, you mean like…as in…guns?"

* * *

**AN: Please Review!**


	7. Stupid

Wesley showed me the ins and outs of guns on our way to Albuquerque. I was getting the hang of it so far, but the recoil made me especially sore when we used the big guns, so I was stuck with a pistol for the time being.

When we reached Albuquerque, Wesley got us a motel room on the outskirts. I wasn't too fond of it, but at least our room was clean. Wesley brought my bag of clothes and toiletries from the old truck we rode in on, and handed me a pistol.

"What is this?" I asked.

"I'm going to...run some errands for a bit," he explained.

"Is that code for 'kill someone'?"

Wesley looked away and murmured, "Possibly."

"What are you up to? You've been pretty silent the whole ride here. What is going on?" I asked nervously.

He sighed. "Don't worry about me. Just make sure to stay out of sight while I'm gone. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay fine. But I don't like this."

Wesley just said to me, "Anything that comes through that door that isn't me...shoot it." Then, he left.

Right after he left, I locked the door and closed the curtains. I sat down on the bed staring down at the gun in my hand. Even though I was learning about guns, I hadn't grasped the thought of killing someone. He made killing someone seem so easy but I couldn't bear the thought of taking a life. But what if I had no other choice? It was difficult to think of how in a split second I had to consider someone's else life over my own. But I was in a world of killers now. Killing was almost as easy as breathing. An assassin killing me would be like me squashing a bug.

I yelped as the cell phone Pekwarksy gave me began to ring. I put the pistol on the nightstand and answered it. The number was blocked of course, but the voice I heard on the other end filled me with relief. "Lydia?"

"Mom? Is that you are you okay?" I asked frantic.

"Yes. But I've been worried sick about you. Where are you? Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Mom. Just worried about you. Where are you?"

"In a cabin...there's snow everywhere...but I have food and a fireplace. There's a man here, watching me. He says I only have 30 seconds left. I just wanted to tell you I love you so much and just...be a good girl for me,alright? Whatever they ask, just do it."

"I know. Mom do you remember where the kill order is? Where you hid it?" I asked quickly.

"It was...the beach house, I think. Xavier...he took me there after you were born. It was in west Malibu, I think. It's been so long...I remember the beach...when you were 12, I think-" Then, the call disconnected suddenly.

"Dammit!" I yelled and threw the phone across the room. It was an old Nokia phone, so it was still in one piece. I grabbed the mattress and screamed into it as loud as I could. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was only six-thirty in the evening. In a huff I grabbed my small bag and placed the pistol in it before heading out of the door.

An hour and a half later, I was pretty tipsy and on my way to drunk at this flimsy bar I stumbled onto down the street from the motel. It wasn't very busy, a few men and women but no more than about 10. I was about to order my fourth bourbon when a martini was placed in front of me. I glanced up at the bartender, an overweight man nearing about 50.

"On the house," he said as he nodded toward the other end of the bar. A man, seemingly in his late twenties, waved at me. He had a nice tan, slicked backed hair, and a pressed suit. What was a guy like him doing here? And waving at me?

I wasn't dressed particularly impressive, just jeans, black boots, a white Tshirt, and a black hoodie. My hair was a mess and I had no makeup on unless you counted Chapstick. I glanced at the man confused, he just laughed and picked up his drink to make his way over to me. I sighed. I just wanted a few drinks to numb myself, not get hit on my some random man.

The man sat down on the stool next to me and asked, "Not a big fan of martinis?"

"Not particularly. I mean I've had a few more...colorful ones, but..."

"Try this one. You might like it." He was staring at me intensely. I took a big gulp and he smiled.

"See? That wasn't so bad. So, what's a beautiful girl like you in a place like this?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Fancy Suit."

"Well, I grew up around here and came back to visit some old friends."

I really wasn't interested in his conversation, but my brain was full on buzzed. After a while, though, I could feel this dark cloud settling over me. It was strange like I was slowly losing control of my body. I had only drank half of the martini, and now I was struggling to stay awake as well as upright. I had had stronger alcohol and knew my limit, so I immediately knew something was off. Very off.

"Thank you for this lovely conversation, but I need to go." I left some money on the counter for the bartender and tried to flee as fast as I could. It was very difficult as I was on the verge of collapse. A hand suddenly grasped my shoulder and spun me around. I nearly lost my balance and grabbed a nearby bar stool to steady myself.

"You're not going anywhere! Not until you thank me for the drink!" The man said as he grabbed me by my arm. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up and the cloud was starting to lift a bit. The adrenaline was kicking in.

I grabbed his hand in an instant, and turned his arm back the opposite way. He howled in pain and I used his strength against him to slam his body into the bar. I let go as he fell to the floor. I bolted and someone caught me in their arms. I began flailing my arms around, but the grip was too tight on me.

"Lydia, it's me!" Wesley was covered in dried blood and he began shuffling me into a beat up taxi cab. I stared at him incredulous. "Oh my God, what happened to you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. What were you thinking? A bar?"

" I was thinking that I wanted an escape. Just for a moment, ok? I talked to my mom. I was trying to get here to tell me where she was or where the house was, but we only had about 2 minutes to talk.

"So you came to a shady bar and almost got yourself killed?"

"I can take care of myself. I handled it. How did you find me anyways?"

Not me... Your father. He called me after I...finished my errand," Wesley explained as we pulled up to th motel room. Wesley went inside and came back three minutes later with my stuff and the phone. Then, Wesley pulled out of the parking lot and drove off. "Where are we going? And do I have a tracker on me?"

"Las Vegas. And yes," Wesley answered.

"Why Vegas?"

"Because we have a flight to catch." He motioned to the backseat and I noticed a Manila envelope. I grabbed it and opened it. Inside, there were fake IDs and tickets for a plane ride to Los Angeles that takes place 2 days from now. "Was this part of your 'errands'? Along with an unhealthy body count?"

"I thought I was seeking out help from a friend. Well, more like ally of my father's. I got in contact with his son to help us. He held up his end, but decided to ambush me as part of his BIGGER deal with the Immortal. He knew about my father's old contractor. For a second...I thought I might not make it out of there."

It was silent before I asked, "But you're okay, right?"

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "Are you mad at me?"

" You nearly got yourself killed or worse. My job is to keep you out of the Immortal's hands. I'm trying to teach you to defend yourself since I know you're not ready to kill yet. All I ask is that you don't do stupid shit and mess that up. Agreed?"

"Agreed. But I was upset, surely you understand that. My life as well as my mother's is on the line so it's not just about me."

"This is all about you. But you can't run out like a fucking child. You could ruin everything."

"Don't lock me away like some caged animal!"

"And risk you dying? No. It wa risky to go in there myself, so I wasn't about to let you die like that."

I looked at him. This had hit him hard. It was personal. "Who was it?" I asked after Wesley had calmed down a bit.

"What?" He looked at me startled.

"I know you killed your dad, but who else was it? If you tell me, I...won't be so fucking stupid next time. You're right. I was dumb. Just tell me who it was."

Wesley only said,"Reach into the back and get a bottle of water. It'll help clear your head and get he drug out of your system. I wish I could go back and kill that asshole. Luckily, you haven't fainted yet."

I did as I was told and after a few hours, I felt the cloud fully lift from my mind. When we stopped for gas and snacks, Wesley paused before he started the car up again.

"Her name was Fox. She was my mentor. She taught me almost everything I know about killing and there Fraternity, but she was more than that. She pushed me. She challenged me. She inspired me. She even gave me busted nose, but she saved my life. I owe who I am now not just to my parents, but also to her. She made me realize who I could be."

"She died, didn't she?"

"Yes." Wesley said nothing else as we drove forward. I wished I had met this woman. I wished I could've thanked her for Wesley.

An:sorry for the late update. A lot of changes happened in my personal life and then got brief writers block. I am types this on my iPhone so sorry for any typos.

Please review!


	8. Vegas

**Chapter 7-**Vegas

Once we reach the outskirts of Vegas, we park a block away from a used car lot. It seems mostly abandoned, like the owner gave up or didn't take good care of the place. Wesley parks the taxi in a car wash and turns to me as I rubbed sleep from my eyes. I don't even ask what he's going to do at this point when he glances at me.

I reach over and take his hand. I squeeze it and nod, acknowledging his plan. Its early morning, about 4 AM so there are few cars around, and from what I can tell the lot has no security cameras. I hear the sound of glass shattering in the distance, and a few minutes later, I hear a car door shut and the engine start.

A 2009 Ford Escape pulls out of the lot and soon Wesley drives up and parks the car next to the taxi. I sit up in the seat as he opens the trunk and begins pulling bags out. I get out and help and we put the bags away silently.

When we finish, Wesley hands me the key. I look at him blankly. "What are you doing? I thought we were sticking together?"

"I'm going to take care of something. In the meantime, drive to Vegas and meet me at the Bellagio," he says to me.

"Wesley, no. Every time we part, something bad happens. What if you die?"

Wesley smirked, "Don't worry about me. What I'm about to do is child's play compared to walking in a mill filled with assassins wanting to kill me. Just trust me and do what I ask."

I sighed. Once again, he was leaving me out of the loop, but I trusted my gut and decided to believe him. I hopped in the driver's seat and started the car. Then, I asked, "How will I know what it looks like?"

"You'll know it when you see it," he said to me as he climbed back into the taxi.

* * *

Sure enough, it took no time at all to locate it once I arrived in Las Vegas. Well, not as long as it should have been since I was still sleepy and sightseeing a bit. I had never been to Vegas before so seeing everything was a bit overwhelming.

I could see why Wesley chose this place as our next stop; there were so many people and so many buildings and space, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But a part of me couldn't underestimate the Fraternity and their unlimited resources since it was why we were running in the first place.

I drove around a bit more to get a feel for the area in case the Immortal caught up to us. I wanted to know the fastest and best route to the airport to get out if needed. By then, the sun was up, and my stomach was growling. After stopping by McDonald's for a cheap breakfast, I managed to find a nice parking spot near the Bellagio. I could see who was going in and out, but stay well hidden.

Another hour passed, and I was getting impatient and worried as it was almost 8 AM. I checked the cell phone for any messages or calls and it was blank. I sighed in frustration as I let my head fall on the steering wheel. As I started to slip into slumber, the sound of a horn nearby jolted me awake.

I looked around for the sound and realized that a black stretch limo had pulled up next to me. I glanced around to make sure no one was about to ambush me.

The window rolled down and a pair of electric blue eyes stared back at me. "You actually listened to me this time."

My jaw dropped. "Wesley? What the hell are you doing…?"

"Get in the limo and I'll tell you," he said before rolling the window back up.

I was so taken off guard that I sat there for a full minute in my thoughts. Finally, I just turned off the ignition and did as he asked, my curiosity getting the best of me and my hatred for being left out taking over as well.

I glared at him as the driver, Tim, lightly knocked on the window. "Keys, ma'am. I need to get your bags."

"Oh, here," I handed them to him and he sent me a small smile.

Then, I turned my attention back to Wesley. He was freshly showered, wearing a tailored suit, and his hair was gelled and slicked back. I crossed my arms and said, "I'm listening."

Wesley took off the shades and said, "I met with X, well, his right hand man. The guy gave me two files; one from your father, and one from Pekwarsky. Then, he told me to shower and get dressed. I came outside, and he was gone except for this limo and the driver. He told me that he was hired to take me wherever I wanted to go, so I told him to take me here. I recognized the car and here we are."

"What were in the files?"

Wesley pulled them out from under the seat and handed them to me. The first file contained fake IDs, one for Wesley and one for me, along with two credit cards. Mr. X had left a note, explaining that the Immortal had just reached Albuquerque after Wesley's "meeting" and was trying to track us down. He had given us fake IDs to so we could remain undercover for a little while longer until we were able to fly out.

I huffed under my breath. _He's keeping my mother captive and now he wants to try to be a father to me?_ I didn't understand his angle at all, but this was all I had for now.

"So what now?"

"Well," Wesley looked me up and down, "you need to change."

* * *

Since I was going to play a role, I needed to take Wesley's advice and dress the part. Wesley and Tim waited outside in the limo while I slipped into a nearby boutique to shop. Since Wesley's "persona" was that of some important business man type, I was going to play the part of his young, sleazy wife.

Based on my mother's awful obsession with the Real Housewives reality shows, I had some idea on how to dress the part. I grabbed several tight-fitted dresses, heels, a few purses, some expensive sunglasses, and found a decent blonde wig at the back of the store. After I paid for my new wardrobe with the credit cards, I shed my old clothes and plastered on a navy blue form fitted dress with a deep v neck neckline. The dress stopped an inch above my knees, and I slipped into a pair of nude heels.

I immediately cringed at the thought of showing off so much skin, but knew this was what I needed to survive. Once I put on the wig, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked more like a hooker than a housewife, but it would have to do.

"The things I do to not get shot at," I mused aloud.

I quickly gathered my things, slipped on the sunglasses, and went to meet Wesley and Tim at the limo. Wesley was leaning against the door, observing the passerby before he spotted me.

He was quiet for a minute and I couldn't take anything away from his eyes as he was wearing his sunglasses again. Finally, I snapped, "Are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to help me?"

Wesley called for Tim to take my bags and Wesley opened the door for me. I climbed inside without a word and neither one of us said anything on our way back to the Bellagio.

Once we entered the hotel, Wesley quickly slid into his role and put his hand on my waist, pulling me to his side. I glanced at him in surprise, but he said nothing. We walked into the hotel and my jaw dropped at the sheer beauty of the lobby. It was like walking into a painting, and I wondered what the rest of the hotel looked like if this was just the lobby.

"A fly is going to open up shop in there if you don't close it," Wesley whispered in my ear. I closed it and pinched his side playfully. He shot me a glance and I gave him an innocent smile. His arm fell from my waist as we approached the front desk and my smile faltered a bit.

"Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Brandt, checking in please," Wesley told the agent at the front desk. He took off his sunglasses, handed over the IDs and she replied, "Oh, yes, we've been expecting you, Mr. Brandt. It appears you booked a deluxe suite, is that right?"

I leaned against the counter, a look of boredom plastered across my face. Wesley glanced at me and I waved my hand lazily, as if this were a normal occurrence.

"Yes," Wesley answered and handed her a credit card. Soon, we were issued a room and Wesley's arm reappeared around my waist as we walked over to the elevators. A smile reappeared on my lips and Wesley rolled his eyes at me.

Our room was no less impressive as the suite was almost the size of a small apartment. A living room, two bathrooms, foyer, and a bedroom were all included in the suite. However, there was a problem….one bed.

I jumped on it like a little kid and collapsed on the duvet. My mood from earlier was completely gone, as now I just felt…happy. I figured for one day, I could be free. Free from all of the assassin mess and have a little fun. I definitely hadn't done that in a while.

Wesley was standing by the window, closing the curtains. I scoffed, "Keep them open!"

"But we're exposed!" he shot back, but he kept them open just enough to let some light in.

I smiled, "Thank you."

"So about the second file…"

"Are we not going to talk about how there's one bed?" I asked aloud.

Ignoring me, he continued, "…I think Pekwarsky may have found it."

"Found what?"

"The house with the kill order. He managed to narrow it down to about 30 houses and now we have to do the rest."

I sighed. I didn't feel like doing this right now. We were in Las Vegas; I wanted to explore before I lost my chance to enjoy it.

Wesley stepped out into the living room but soon came back with the file. I heard the door open in the distance, and then the rustling of bags, probably Tim dropping off our stuff for the night.

Wesley sat with me on the bed and pulled out a bunch of pictures. There were all kinds of houses, shot from all types of angles. Luckily, they were marked so we could tell one house from the other.

The next few hours passed and it was just Wesley and I examining each photo thoroughly as well as searching for each house's coordinates to get a better look and feel for the area. Soon, though, my stomach growled in protest and I was getting a bit restless.

"Maybe we should stop here," I said as Wesley examined the 20th house.

My stomach growled again, this time a bit louder and Wesley sighed, "Do you want to order room service?"

"No, I want to go out. We've been in this room for 4 hours, Wesley. I want to get out. Please!" I begged.

Wesley pinched his brows and then glanced at me. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded. "I'm sure. Just give me a Taser or something if you don't want me to have a gun."

"Fine. We'll go out," he said defeated.

I clapped my hands enthusiastically, and he laughed.

* * *

After dinner, I managed to convince Wesley to let us take a tour of the place. I had never stayed at a hotel of this magnitude so I really wanted to enjoy myself. Then, we passed some slot machines and I squeezed his arm.

"Can we go play some slots?"

"Why?"

"I can't come to Vegas and _not_ gamble, Wesley. I'm pretty sure it's against the Constitution."

Wesley thought it over for a moment, and then sighed. I sprinted off into the room like a kid on a sugar high. Once I figured out how to get started, I picked out a slot that had kittens on it. It seemed simple enough; put your money inside, pull the lever, and try to win something.

Wesley sat next to me, seemingly bored. I ignored him and entered my money. I pulled the lever as instructed and instinctively grabbed his hand. Sadly, I didn't win anything that time. So I tried again. And again. And again. _And again._

The final time, I banged my fist against the machine. "Damn you, kittens! Give me my money back!"

Wesley clutched his stomach and began laughing. "What is so damn funny?" I snapped at him.

"You know these machines are designed to rip you off. That's how they suck you in, thinking that you have a chance to win when you don't," he explained to me.

I scoffed. "Whatever. I'm going to try something else."

I walked over to the other side and settled on a similar machine that had fruit on it. A balding man seemingly in his mid-50s leaned over and asked, "First time on the slots, miss?"

"Is it that obvious?" I asked aloud as I lost once again.

"Yes because someone who has done the slots before would've dressed more appropriately for the occasion. It takes a few tries and a few machines to figure out what works. Not that you would know that," he said and then he eyed me up and down.

I noticed the ring on his left hand. I sighed in frustration, but I was dressed rather…revealing. I also had a brief bout of confusion of how this older man was obviously attracted to me, but I hadn't noticed Wesley seem affected at all. _Maybe our encounter in the bathroom the other day was all in my head_, I wondered.

Then, the man said, "You know, if you want to learn how to win, I could…" He placed his hand on my arm and I gasped at the perverted things he whispered in my ear.

I leaned away from him quickly, but he had a firm grip on my arm. I slapped him so he could release me, and Wesley came to my aid.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he questioned the man.

"Ah, I see. I didn't know she was yours. Tell me, how much did you have to spend?" the man asked Wesley his hand on the red mark I left on his face.

"Spend? On what?" I asked him. Then, I clarified, "No, I'm not some gold –digger, if that's what you mean."

Wesley punched the guy across the face and the man collapsed against the lever. The slot ran, and started going off like crazy.

"Jackpot!" I exclaimed. I quickly gathered the man's money before security could come to throw us out. I cashed it and we headed out of there.

Once we were back in our room, I asked Wesley, "Why did you punch him? You didn't have to do that. I handled it."

Wesley closed the door and turned to me slowly. "He called you a hooker, did you know that? So, he got what was coming to him."

I was shocked into silence. Sure, I was dressed this way, but the man didn't have to call me that to my face. But the thing that baffled me was why Wesley defended me in such a way. He didn't have to punch the guy, but he did anyways. _Did that mean there was more to this than just a…job? Was there something here?_

I walked up to him and breathed, "Thank you." Then, my lips met his.

I paused, not wanting to open my eyes and see the expression on his face. I started to pull away, but he sensed it and put his hand in the wig and pulled it off of my head. My hair fell to my shoulders and his hands grabbed my roots to pull me closer to him.

His other hand was on my back and my whole body felt as if it were on fire. I responded by pulling him closer to me as if I were trying to merge his body with my own. Everything in the outside of this room meant nothing to me in this instant. I just wanted him.

I could feel his feet shuffle forward and I walked backward still clinging to him for dear life. My back hit the soft cushion of the couch and Wesley climbed on top of me, his lips still suctioned to mine.

I unbuttoned his jacket and then his dress shirt, letting my hands roam free over the hardened muscles of his body. Wesley pulled the straps off of body and pulled the dress down to my waist, exposing the strapless bra underneath.

I had been with a few men before, but somehow this whole experience felt different. As if the wild animals inside of us that had been caged were finally allowed to roam free and I was soaking in every minute of it.

It all came crashing down when I reached for Wesley's pants and he sat up, startled. "What's wrong?" I asked in the darkness.

"I…I can't. I'm sorry," Wesley slipped off of me to sit down on the end table. I sat up incredulous.

"Now! Now you're sorry! Wesley, we…I…I'm in my _bra_! _You grabbed my boobs!_ How could you be _sorry?_ I thought you wanted this, too!"

"No, I can't compromise this job. I can't let you get in the way. I can't," he said as he started to walk away.

"No! I'm not gonna let you walk away from this, Wesley!" I yelled as I went after him.

"This…can't happen, Lydia! History _will _keep repeating itself! _My parents, your parents…_it doesn't end happily ever after! Get that in your fucking head already! I let myself slip, but I won't let that happen again! _Get that in your head_," he said darkly.

I blinked as Wesley had changed in an instant. A minute ago, he was my knight in shining armor, and now a dark shadow wanting nothing to do with me.

I pulled up my dress and slipped past him into the bedroom. "You're right. You're right about everything. But I know one thing…you care. You _care _about me, Wesley, whether you want to admit it or not. I know that now," I said quietly.

He said nothing in return and I shut the door slowly. I stood there for a minute, trying to breathe again since it felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of me. I didn't know what to feel now. This whole thing was so fucked up.

_We could be together but we can't._

_He could have me but he can't. _

_He was right._

Based on what our parents had been through, it wasn't going to work out. The Fraternity was the main cause of all our problems and our parents' problems. It had caused them to be ripped from each other's lives and leave us to deal with the mess. It was all so fucked up.

Tears welled in my eyes as I stalked for the mini bar. There was a few bottles of alcohol inside, and I grabbed one and started gulping it down. The fire burned my throat, but any pain was better than this.

I walked back to the door to try to hear something on the other side. It was quiet.

I walked back and threw the bottle at the door, shattering it into pieces. I didn't care; it's not like I was paying for it.

Then, my cell phone rang from my purse and I answered it.

I heard my mother scream my name. "LYDIA! LYDIA! HELP ME!"

I heard gunshots and it immediately went dead on the other end. I let the phone slip from hands and fall to the ground.

* * *

**AN: This was really more of a filler chapter but there's more to come!**

**Please Review!**


	9. Bullets

**Chapter 8-**Bullets

I didn't leave the room for hours. Various bottles were scattered across the room, and one was shattered since I had thrown one at the door when Wesley tried to come in. I didn't want to talk to him, or Tim, or Mr. X…I just wanted to talk to my mother.

Mr. X called again, and I answered it, but I didn't speak. Instead, he said, "I presume you know of what happened to your mother."

It was silent for a beat before I asked, "Why did you kill her?"

"Why would I kill her? I had no incentive or desire for that to happen. I couldn't think of harming the mother of my child, no. I just needed her to motivate you into participating; that is all. It seems that we have a mole on our side, and the Immortal got to her before I could. I'm sorry, my dear."

There was remorse in his voice, but I didn't believe it. _How could I?_ But since we were much closer than the Immortal was to getting the kill order, it seemed like he was desperate enough to go after my mother.

Finally, I said, "I want to believe you, but _how can I_? You failed my mother, and now…_me_." Then, I hung up.

A few hours had passed, and I got sick of looking at these four walls. I needed to get out. I changed out of the dress and into some jeans and a blue t-shirt before I entered the living room. Wesley was once again looking at the files, ignoring me.

I tiptoed past him and he said, "Don't even think about it."

"I need to get out of this room, Wesley. If I don't, I _will_ lose it," I said quietly.

"I need you to look at these pictures. The faster we can find the house, the faster we can leave."

I ran over to the end table and knocked the pictures off. "_Fuck the pictures! My mother is dead! Do you hear me! She's dead! Because of you, because of Mr. X, and…me! She's dead because of me! I don't care about the pictures! All I want is that French asshole's head on a stick!_" I roared as angry tears formed in my eyes.

Wesley didn't even flinch. He was probably expecting me to burst anyways. _Who wouldn't?_ He stood up and said, "So, help me and we can find the kill order. Then, we can get that son of a bitch and end this."

I looked down at all of the pictures scattered on the floor. It would probably take us several hours to go through it all again.

"Don't worry about those. I already made a pile of the last ones we haven't gone through," Wesley said to me.

I breathed in relief, and wiped my eyes. He was right; I needed to pull myself together to get through this so I could find the kill order. Right now, the Immortal had one over on me, so I needed to get one over on him. _I needed to avenge my mother._

I nodded and Wesley took out the pile of the unseen pictures from under the couch. We went through them once more until one caught my eye.

It seemed so familiar. I ran into the bedroom and rummaged through my stuff until I found the old picture from before. It stung to look at it, but it was the only evidence I had.

I ran back into the living room and put the pictures on Wesley's lap. "I think this is the house. You see there in the far left corner? That palm tree has a marking on it, the last year we were there. I remember when my mother carved it in there because we didn't know when we'd get to go back," I explained.

Wesley examined the pictures closely, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. Wesley pulled out a phone and began texting immediately. A message popped up less than a minute later.

"Our flight's been bumped up. We're heading to Los Angeles," he told me as he began packing.

I sprinted into the room and quickly grabbed the bags. Wesley put his suit jacket back on and tucked a pistol into his pants. I shuffled ahead of him toward the elevators.

The elevators dinged and two guys dressed in all black with AK-47s came out. They aimed their guns at us, and Wesley pulled me into an open room, where an innocent maid was cleaning the carpet.

She screamed at the sight of us, and I yelled, "Get down!" as I took shelter in the bathroom.

Wesley hid behind the door and pulled out his pistol, taking the safety off. He nodded to me and shot at the guys around the corner before ducking back inside as bullets flew in retaliation. Wesley flung his arm to send a curved bullet around the corner, and I heard a body drop to the floor.

Then, I heard a door open and several grunts before another body hit the floor as well. Wesley held his gun up and motioned for me to follow. I crawled out of the bathroom and peeked out into the hallway.

Tim was standing over the two unconscious men and grabbed an AK-47, tucking his pistol away. I stood up and walked behind Wesley. "I guess you're not just a driver, then," I said aloud.

Tim answered, "No, I work for your father, and I was assigned to protect you unless directed otherwise. The driver part was just a cover."

"Figures," I commented. Of course, Mr. X would assign me another bodyguard, especially since Wesley almost got himself killed not too long ago.

"Well, then, do you know who they are? Who they work for?" Wesley asked, his gun still raised, but no longer pointing at Tim.

"They're French. I heard one of them speaking to someone on the phone."

"Most likely the Immortal. We need to leave," Wesley said as he tugged on my arm, dragging me along the hallway.

I snatched my arm back and followed the men to the stairs. Wesley shuffled me in front of him, so there was someone flanking me from the front and the back. I gritted my teeth but trotted along. I didn't like feeling powerless, but I knew I was a long ways from taking on assassins on my own.

I was nearly exhausted by the time we reached the 2nd level but I pushed on anyways. Tim guided us through a back way before we stumbled onto a casino. People were buzzing and shuffling through all around, but I was able to spot the Frenchmen looking for us, once again, dressed in all black. They weren't blending in very much.

I took the liberty to grab a lever on a random slot machine, and unexpectedly, got a jackpot. The man at the machine began screaming like crazy and shouting, "Thank you! Thank you!" over and over again. I smiled and people began to crowd around him.

Tim and Wesley looked at each other, but used the chaos to get me away. We ran through the casino, pushing everyone out of our way. Tim slowed down once he spotted another assassin and I reached into my bag and pulled out a grenade.

I threw it with all my might into the crowd and it exploded, filling the corner of the room with tear gas. "Over there!" Tim shouted, pointing at the exit.

We covered our faces as we ran through the smoke, watching the assassin rub his eyes in agony. As we ran to the exit, Tim and Wesley both shot out curved bullets to take down the two Frenchmen guarding it.

A woman screamed at the dead bodies as we passed through but we kept on going, trying to blend into the resulting crowd making its way out. We soon stumbled into the lobby and I spotted a man in a suit coming out of a black Porsche with a woman way too young for him.

"That one!" I yelled, pointing at the car.

Wesley suddenly got behind a bellhop and pushed a luggage cart into a Frenchman whom had stumbled out into the lobby ahead of us. He fell to the ground as the cart collided with his body, and I smirked before Wesley put a bullet in his head.

I was nearly thrown into the space that wasn't big enough to fully be a backseat as Wesley and Tim quickly dispatched the owner, leaving him bleeding on the sidewalk. Tim hopped into the front seat as Wesley slid into the passenger and reloaded his gun.

I was thrown backwards as the car lurched forward quickly, zooming out onto the highway in less than 10 seconds. I quickly realized how my life had turned into a _Fast and Furious_ movie.

Tim did a sharp right turn, throwing me to the left, and I yelled, "Could you be a little more careful? There are no seatbelts back here!"

"This car was your idea!" Tim yelled back as he smoothly zoomed around cars.

Err, well, okay, he was right about that. I _did_ pick the car, but I didn't think it'd be _this_ tiny!

Tim took a sharp left, running through a red light and nearly getting us killed, and soon after, he slowed down and finally relaxed. "I think I lost them. Now we head to the airport so we can get the hell out of here."

"Where did you learn to drive like that?" I asked him.

"I grew up in a rough neighborhood. My mom liked bad boys. One of them used to rob banks, and he taught me how to drive so I could drive the getaway car. I met your father in a prison outside of DC, where he was my cellmate. He saved my life and told me about his mission. I didn't believe him until he killed the warden with a spoon and a straw and escaped. A little while later, I was cleared and released. He asked me if I wanted to do what he does, and I agreed, no questions asked. I've been following him for 8 years, and will do it for 80 more."

Wesley and I glanced at each other before he turned the other way, staring out of the window. I sighed and sat back, trying to get comfortable in the small space.

I still wasn't by the time we reached the airport, but at least now, I could stretch my legs a bit. Wesley helped me out and I muttered, "Thanks." He nodded. I huffed and hated that he was being so distant now, barely speaking to me. He got his bags out of the trunk and I quickly wondered how he was going to get all those guns through TSA.

"Don't worry; we're not going through there. We're going around," Tim explained, answering the very question I hadn't even asked.

Wesley and I followed Tim inside before we ended going a backway by the employee entrance. No one even glanced at us as we passed through. We reached a door leading up a staircase and into an office, and Tim took a card out of his pocket and swiped it on the desktop computer. A small ding emerged from the computer and we followed Tim back downstairs, where a flight attendant was waiting for us.

She led us through another door, which lead to more passageways. It felt like the Wonderland of airports for a moment until we finally reached the tarmac.

A small jet was waiting with the name _Jobs _on it. I hesitated. "Wait, is this _Steve Jobs' jet?_" I asked.

"Yes, your father called in a favor. He's using decoys to board your actual flights as a diversion for the Immortal. He'll see through it though, but it'll confuse him, giving us enough time to get to Malibu," Tim answered as we boarded the jet.

It was quite cozy inside. It only seated about 6 people, had a small bathroom in the back, and a tiny minibar stocked with various alcohol. "I thought it'd be bigger," Wesley commented as he handed his bags to the flight attendant. She winced from the sudden weight, but didn't ask questions.

"Well, it's just us, and we needed something in a hurry," Tim answered Wesley.

"So Mr. knew Steve Jobs? What does an assassin have to do with the CEO of Apple?" I asked as I took a shot of expensive vodka from the minibar.

"X is quite a business man as well. Knowing how to kill is also good for negotiations, and besides, how do you think the Fraternity gets its funding?" Tim said with a slight smile.

Apparently, Mr. X was full of surprises. I stared out of the window as the jet appeared to be heading towards the runway.

I didn't know what awaited us in Malibu, but I knew I was one step closer to getting my revenge.

* * *

**AN: I'm back! Having nearly 4 months to grieve and get everything settle really helped a lot. I've been itching to get back to this for a while, and you all have left so many lovely reviews! Thank you so much! I have so much more in store for this, and during my time away, I came up with even more ideas. But really, thank all of you for understanding and I can't wait for you to read more!**

**Please Review!**


	10. Failed Plans

**Chapter 9-**Failed Plans

"So this is it?" Tim asked me.

I nodded, "This is it."

After landing in Los Angeles, we stayed in a motel overnight before heading straight for Malibu that morning. We had pulled up in front of the beach house in the fancy Escalade Tim "found", and Wesley and Tim hid their guns in their jackets as they flanked me.

Tim scanned the area, which was mostly abandoned since the houses in the neighborhood were mostly rentals or foreclosed. He nodded and Wesley picked the deadbolt on the front door.

Wesley walked in first and looked around. The place was empty and covered in dust and sheets. "We're good. Lydia, where do we look first?"

I shrugged. "Well, my mom was all for hiding things in plain sight."

Tim sighed, "Look, I'll look around downstairs and you two look upstairs. Shout if you find it, and be quick about it. We don't want to be here too long."

Wesley nodded in agreement and grabbed my arm, leading me upstairs. Tim took off into the living room.

I walked into one of the bare bedrooms and looked around, and Wesley walked into the next one. "Would it be under the floorboards?" he asked aloud.

"No, it would be too hard to get to. We were only here a few weeks at a time so she wouldn't have made it difficult for herself if she needed it in a hurry," I answered as I search the empty closet.

Wesley sighed as he walked back out into the hallway. "Attic? Basement? The beach?"

"No and no."

"Dammit!" he yelled punching the wall. The plaster cracked a bit from the force.

"Look I want the kill order as much as you do! I've lost people too!" I yelled.

"I know that!" Wesley yelled back.

I lowered my voice. "Then act like it." I stomped past him down the hall and into the master bedroom.

Wesley followed me but stopped in the doorway. He swallowed, "I'm sorry. I just-"

"I know," I sighed. I knew Wesley was being distant, so when we parted, I wouldn't miss him. I knew now that he didn't want me to suffer more than I had.

We searched the master bedroom together, throwing around drawers from the dresser and nightstand, and moving the bed around. Wesley scanned the wall for a hidden safe, but nothing.

"Find anything up there?" Tim called out from downstairs.

"Nothing so far!" Wesley yelled.

"I'm going to check the bathroom…" I started to say but paused when we heard a loud thud on the roof.

Wesley pulled out his pistol and began gently pushing me towards the bathroom. "Go in there and lock the door," he ordered.

I scoffed, not wanting to stay out of the action this time, "No! I can handle myself, Wesley!"

Immediately, gunshots started going off downstairs, and footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Wesley glanced out of the window, and on the beach, we could see a helicopter land and more assassins come out.

_How did they keep finding us?_

"Find the kill order, and I'll take care of these assholes," Wesley told me as the footsteps began to creep closer.

"Fine," I said as I stomped into the bathroom, only for Wesley to shut the door. I ran to open it but I reasoned that he put something in front of it since it didn't budge. Gunshots went off and the door cracked a bit from the force of the fight.

I started pulling on the drawers under the sink and throwing them at the door. When I pulled out the third one, and it shattered, I noticed an envelope on the ground.

I dusted the wood splinters off of me and opened it. Inside, there was a picture of my mother and me, along with a piece of cloth.

This, _this_, piece of cloth was what we were risking our lives for. I thought about flushing it down the toilet, but I knew it was too important.

I screamed when the door fell open with a dead body on top of it. I stuffed the cloth into the back pocket of my jeans and stepped over the body. Wesley was trying to catch his breath in the doorway and the room was a mess.

My heart lurched out of my chest when Wesley was suddenly shot and he fell to the ground. I let out a scream and ran to his side.

An assassin covered in a black bodysuit started spouting Spanish at me, and I shook my head since I couldn't understand her. She leaned down and pulled on my arm, but I resisted.

Suddenly, a muscular man in a similar bodysuit ran beside her and tried to pick me up while the woman yelled Spanish to someone downstairs. I gave the man a sharp right hook and ran back inside of the trashed bedroom.

Something nicked me in my neck and drowsiness hit me like a speeding truck. I tripped over some debris and whined when my body collided with the hardwood floor.

The last thing I saw was black hiking boots.

* * *

When I woke up, I was lying in a bed. As I slowly came to, everything from the past 24 hours hit me, including Wesley's death. I didn't know whether to cry or scream or throw something. However, I knew I had to get out of here and seek answers. Plus, I was still emotionally drained from my mother's death. I soon realized that I was in a hotel room, and I jumped out of the bed and headed straight for the door.

When I opened it and tried to make a run for it, Tim caught me in his arms. I struggled against his grasp, but he was still stronger than me, so it was useless.

I stopped struggling and growled, "Let me go, Tim!"

"I will, if you stop trying to run away. Besides, your father is here and he wants to meet you," he replied before he released me.

I straightened up my t-shirt and turned to face him. "What? What makes you think I want to meet that man?"

My voice was rising and Tim motioned for me to lower my voice. My eyes narrowed as he said, "Listen, I know you're upset about what happened, but it wasn't my fault."

"You were supposed to protect us!"

"Only you," Tim answered quickly.

The doors of the suite behind me opened and a heavy-set man with black, slicked-back hair, angular features, blue eyes, and an expensive suite walked in. I deduced he was Mr. X as he took the cigar out of his mouth. Then, he said, "Tim was only following my orders, dear Lydia. However, he is right…none of us are to blame for the Gibson boy."

"THEN WHO THE HELL IS?" I yelled at my so-called father.

"I am," the beautiful woman who randomly appeared at Mr. X's side spoke. She had a round face, chocolate brown eyes, olive skin, and long dark hair with bangs. There were a few wrinkles on her face suggesting a woman in her late 40s probably, but it did not distract from her beauty. I also noticed how she wore a red figure-hugging dress showcasing her slim figure.

"Who are you?"

She began to step closer to me, but there was some slight hesitation in each step she took. I noticed how her face had a mixture of happiness, relief, and…dread.

"I'm Maria Ramirez, head of the Spanish Fraternity. I sent them after you when I received word of the Immortal's movements. He was minutes from finding you. I found out that I had a mole on my side, and took care of him. However, I had to get to you first before he did…to guarantee your safety," she spoke slowly before she stopped in front of me.

She stared hard at me for a long time and I asked in a low voice, "Why? What do I mean to you?"

She smiled a small smile before she reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Why darling, my sweet Lydia, I'm…your mother."

* * *

**AN: This is mainly filler. The next chapters will be how Lydia, Maria, Wesley, and Mr. X's backstories all connect plus how our showdown with the Immortal plays out. I've been so waiting to get to Maria. She is going to be a **_**very **_**important character from here on out. And yes, she **_**is**_** Lydia's real mother. I saw the movie **_**Red 2**_** the other day, and Catherine Zeta-Jones' character in that movie was who I imagined Maria to be like down to a T. Plus, it gave me ideas for a possible sequel. **

**Please Review!**


	11. Family Reunion

**AN: I own nothing but my OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter 10-**History

After meeting my "parents", I stormed back into the hotel room and locked the door, not wanting to speak to anyone.

I heard murmurs outside the door but couldn't make anything out. A few minutes later, it was silent, and there was a soft knock at the door.

I sighed, "Yes?"

Tim answered, "Maria and Xavier would like you to join them for dinner."

I snorted. "Do you really expect me to sit at a table with liars and killers? I don't think anyone could enjoy their meal if they are expecting someone to come up and slit their throat."

"If they wanted to kill you, then they would've let the French take you when they had the chance and your body would be floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean right now."

I bit my lip and groaned in frustration since I knew he was right. Besides, I wanted answers; the final pieces of the puzzle, and they had the answers. Plus, I realized that this would probably be the only peaceful moment to talk.

I said, "Okay."

I rushed to the bathroom to fix my hair and wipe my face. My clothes were crumpled, but I didn't care. Even though I wanted to cry, I forced myself to put on a brave face.

Finally, I unlocked the door, and Tim greeted me with a stoic face. He held his arm out, and I took it. We walked down the hall slowly, and I felt this sense of dread hit the pit of my stomach, like someone was leading me to a casket at a funeral.

We exited the suite and Tim nodded at the guard that was perched outside the door. I guessed that he was also a part of my security detail. I sighed and shook my head at the thought of how complicated and messy my life became once I found out that I was the daughter of two highly trained assassins.

Tim led me down the hall and nodded to the guard standing outside this suite. The guard knocked on the door three times, and Maria opened it with a flashing grin. She nodded at Tim and said, "Thank you, but we'll take it from here."

Tim released me, but I pulled his arm back. I whispered, "_You're just gonna leave me with them_? _Are you crazy_?"

Tim smiled and said, "You'll be fine. Just don't forget who they are."

I dropped his arm and he shook his head at me before Maria dragged me into the suite. She put her arm around my shoulders and I instinctively pulled away a bit. Nonetheless, she kept a firm grip on me and guided me into another room, which was set up as a dining room.

There was classic, antique furniture placed near the walls, a table that seated about six with a classic, white tablecloth, and an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Xavier was already sitting at the head of the table facing the doorway, and he seemed to be having a very serious conversation. Maria cleared her throat to get his attention, and he acknowledged her before he hung up.

Xavier rose from his seat, and Maria guided me along to greet him. He held his hands out and she placed hers in his, and he kissed both of her cheeks.

"Maria," he smiled.

"Xavier," she said curtly before she took the seat on his left side.

Xavier held his hands out for me, and I repeated Maria's actions, even accepting his kisses.

"My dear Lydia. How sad it is that we have to meet under these circumstances."

I nodded. "Yes, it is."

I sat down in the empty chair on his right, and Xavier followed suit. Then, he clapped his hands and a chef, clad in all white, came out from the door behind Maria.

"I think we're ready to begin," he told him. The chef nodded and soon returned with oeuvres. His assistant poured wine in nice, clean glasses.

I made sure the two were distracted before I quickly grabbed a steak knife and hid it under my thigh. However, I wasn't as sneaky as I thought as Maria said suddenly, "Lydia, darling, if we were going to kill you, I would've done it before you even walked through that door. Now, put the knife back and enjoy this meal with us."

I sighed and placed the knife back on the table as instructed. "So is anybody going to start talking, like what the hell is going on and how did I end up here?" I spat out.

Xavier paused for a second before glancing at Maria, who sighed. "Yes. I guess I'll start."

Maria began, "My mother was an immigrant from Spain. She separated from my father before I was born, and gave birth to me in New York. She soon found it hard to support me, and fell into a life of drugs and prostitution. I was taken from her and raised in a foster home until I turned 18. I got a scholarship to NYU, and sighed up to take a summer trip to Spain before I turned 19. I wandered off alone one night, and was nearly robbed. But, someone saved me."

She stopped eating and had this faraway look in her eyes. "Her name was Allyse. She saved my life that day, in more ways than one. She saw something in me, and gave me a choice: go back to NYU and go on with my boring life, or join the Fraternity and _truly _save the world. Obviously, I made a choice to join the Spanish Fraternity. Allyse trained me; day in, and day out. She forced things out of me that I never knew I was capable of. She taught me everything there was to know about killing. Then, she and Cross crossed paths. After that, the entire Fraternity was changed forever."

I nodded, "Wesley." It hurt to say his name aloud, but he was a part of this just as much as I was.

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, Wesley was conceived. Allyse was torn as to what to do, but Cross convinced her to keep the child, despite it breaking the code. Cross got word that the Immortal was being sent after them by the Elders of the French Fraternity for violating the code, and he enlisted me to protect her as he tried to recruit Sloan and the other Elders for his cause. We hid out in rural Egypt until she gave birth to the boy. The French had nearly caught up to us, and Allyse sent me back so I wouldn't be killed. I…got word that she had been killed by the time I returned to Spain."

Maria's eyes were watery and she looked down at her plate. Xavier reached for her hand and squeezed it. She grabbed her handkerchief to blot her eyes and he picked up where she left off.

"After Allyse's death, it seemed as if the Fraternity was on the verge of collapse as a civil war began to brew among the Fraternities. Cross was sent to kill the Immortal, and vice versa. It came to a boiling point when Cross nearly ended his life, but spared the Immortal, leaving his face half-scarred," Xavier told me, motioning to his hands the damage the Immortal endured.

Maria continued, "Rumors plagued the Fraternities as to what led Cross to abandon Sloan. No one knew for sure, but by then, the other Fraternities had destroyed themselves, with only the French, Chicago, Spanish, and Russian Fraternity elders agreeing to a truce to end the bloodshed among brothers. Soon after that, Xavier and I were sent on a mission together in Mexico to kill a drug lord. I found out I was pregnant a few months later."

Maria sighed, "I was terrified. I didn't want to go through what Allyse went through. My Elder, Ricardo, was so disappointed. He knew he should've killed me, but…he didn't. He asked me what I wanted to do and I…wanted you to live. I wanted you to have the life I could never have. _You_ were my blood; my family. I couldn't do that to you. So, I lived in the basement of Ricardo's house until I gave birth, his servants and wife attending to my every need. However, I learned that Ricardo had sent one of the younger assassins to pose as a servant and take you away without my knowledge. I informed Xavier of what happened as soon as possible-"

"After I recovered from the news that we had conceived a daughter-"

"But Ricardo informed that he spared you and sent you to America. In return for your safety, I became his indentured servant and requested that all of the female members be sterilized to avoid another incident. Soon after, the Fraternities were in financial ruin for the most part, so I was sent off to marry an oil tycoon in Qatar. I was his 8th wife and the youngest, so I was his favorite. A few days after our wedding, Ricardo sent me my husband's kill order. I poisoned him shortly after and inherited half of his estate…about 800 million. The other wives had to split up the rest among themselves and their children. From then on, I was sent off to man after man, acquiring their assets and insurance money after their deaths. _I_ saved the Fraternity from ruin and brought them out of the ashes."

_By spreading your legs to the highest bidder_, I thought. "Interesting story, thank you for that, but what happens now? Why is the Immortal even hunting me down if there was a truce?" I asked.

Xavier cut his steak and took a bite. "He does not care for the old laws of men long passed. He cares about what happens to him now. The only thing he believes in is the code and his own ascension to power. I believe that he wants full control over the last of the Fraternities and viewed you and Gibson as a threat to that power, especially since you found the kill order. But, I contacted him."

Maria whipped her head at him so fast I thought she was going to break her neck. "What? When did you this, and why didn't you consult me?"

Xavier took another bite. "This morning, while you were planning Lydia's exit plan, and I also gained some valuable information. I do not need to consult with you on everything that I do, my dear Maria."

Maria's eyes darkened. "Not when it involves _my _daughter's life!"

Xavier took another bite and used his knife to motion between them. "You mean _our _daughter's life. If you must know, we have…come to an agreement."

"Which is?" I asked aloud, getting anxious and impatient.

"Your life and protection, in exchange for the kill order and relinquishing his business deals with Apostol Pharmaceuticals in Japan."

Maria slammed her butter knife between the middle and ring finger on Xavier's resting hand. I jumped a little in my seat and my eyes widened with fear.

"_You exchanged our daughter's life for a piece of cloth and a business deal? Are you mad?_" Maria growled.

Xavier looked down at his hand and back up at Maria. He removed the knife and placed it beside my untouched plate gently. He clasped his hands together, resembling something of a mob boss.

"That is what I do, Maria. I do business, whether in bills, bullets, or blood. He agreed to my terms once I handed over our worm in exchange for his. And you should bring down your voice; it seems we have conspirators in our ranks," he answered calmly.

I wondered how he could keep his calm demeanor after my assassin mother almost chopped off his hand. Either he was used to her outburst, or he had mastered keeping calm under chaos, which would lend itself to being an assassin. I predicted it was more than likely a combination of these.

"Who? Who is plotting against us, Xavier?" Maria asked after taking a sip of her wine.

Xavier smiled almost like a Cheshire cat and yelled out, "Bring him in!"

Tim and another burly man entered the room and opened the door behind me. It was a coat closet and a young man with dirty blond hair, frightened blue eyes, and a lanky build was dragged out. He had no clothes on, except for blue boxers, and he was taped up from head to toe. Several bruises were festering on his stomach, chest, and face.

Tim and the other man helped him stand on his feet, facing us. Tim quickly sent me an apologetic look before it smoothed back out into a poker face.

"Ah! Here he is! The man of the hour! Ladies, this is Milton, one of my newest assassins. I had him gathering Intel on the Immortal along with one of my best, Alfonso, until it seemed that Alfonso was the one sending information to the Immortal. But that wasn't what happened, was it Milton? Milton set Alfonso up as our weasel and I killed him."

I glanced at Maria, who had an uncertain look on her face. Then, she got up and grabbed her steak knife. She walked toward Milton and waved the knife in his face.

"I remember Alfonso. He was a good boy. Smart, quiet, and loyal, always loyal. We treated him well, and made sure that the last of his family were well taken care of. Why would he betray us? Better yet, why did you set him up, Milton?" Maria asked in a low voice, flipping the knife expertly in her hands.

Milton's voice muffled loudly against the duct tape and Tim removed it. "Ow! I-I did it…because…because of Kyle. _He was my friend! And he died for that illegitimate bitch!"_ he spat at her, eyes shooting bullets at me.

Kyle, poor Kyle, the young assassin who didn't stand a chance against Wesley Gibson. I wish the boy didn't die, but Wesley killed him before I could plead his case.

"He's gotten into your head, hasn't he? He thinks my daughter, _my child_, is a mistake. What do you think about that, darling?" Maria asked me.

I was speechless, and absolutely terrified about what was about to happen next. Maria turned her gaze to Xavier, who shrugged and continued cutting his meat.

"You see? I am proud of you for being loyal, Milton, but you did _betray _us and cause your fellow brother to be murdered. And now, consequences must be paid." Then, she slowly jabbed the knife into his left peck, causing an ear-piercing scream. Tim and the other man struggled to get a grip on Milton as Maria pulled the knife down and then right, and then left, leaving a blood-soaked F on his chest.

My mouth dropped open as Maria licked the blood on the knife and wiped some more blood on his face. Maria motioned for them to take Milton away and Tim reapplied the tape to his mouth and dragged him into another room.

I sat up and placed my handkerchief on the plate. "I'm done. I-I can't. Excuse me."

I headed for the door but Maria stopped me. "You shouldn't go out there alone. Tim will walk you back to your suite. Tim!"

Tim appeared in the doorway almost instantly, and I heard some rumbling come out from the room behind him. "Yes, Maria?"

"Could you take my daughter back to her room? Xavier and I need to converse on some things."

Tim nodded and headed for the door. Maria clutched my arm with a vice grip. "You just don't know how happy I am that you are here with us. Don't worry; you'll be safe as long as I'm here. We'll get together later and talk about anything that you want. Right now, you can go and get some rest."

"Okay," I muttered, not sure as to what else I could add.

Xavier's cell phone rang and he answered it, only sending me a nod.

Maria toyed with a strand of my hair for a second before letting me go. I walked briskly to the door where Tim was waiting. He closed it behind us and I held my arms close to my body as we walked down the hall, trying to process everything that took place.

Tim was silent the whole walk and took out a key card to open my door. I walked in and Tim said, "I'll be outside if you need anything. Maria and Xavier booked this whole floor so the only people going in and out will be Fraternity members. You'll be safe here."

I started laughing manically. I was doubling over laughing, and Tim looked confused, as if he missed the punch line to a joke. I waved my hands and started to calm down.

"Safe? Are you kidding me? Like, did you not hear what you just said?"

Tim's face sombered up and he said, "Listen, I know what happened back there would make you think otherwise, but they're your parents and they've gone through a lot to get you here. I'm just doing my job and so are they."

"_Which is killing and torturing people?_ How comforting."

Tim walked in and slammed the door. I blinked at him.

"Listen, I'm sorry about Wesley! I really am! He was not that bad of a guy and a good assassin. He could've done well here, even became an Elder if he wanted to. But things got fucked up back there. We were trying to figure out friend from foe, retrieve the kill order, _and_ keep you safe while trying to find a safe way to extract you! I was just following orders!"

"Yeah from the Ku Ku Klan!" I yelled back.

"That's not even funny. Besides, I've killed most of them personally," he said.

I didn't even know what to say after that so I just went and sat down on the bed.

"Listen, I'm sorry, but it could be worse. I've done my part so now you do yours. Besides, Maria has been waiting for this a long time. She _does_ love you, whether you have realized that or not."

With that, he left me alone in the darkness, contemplating my next move.

* * *

**AN: Sorry that I haven't updated in about 4 months. I lost my job, started taking an online class, and was helping mother with some stuff. Plus, I had a recent tragedy happen in my family and we had to work through that. Now, I'm at the end of my class, and I got 2 new jobs (albeit seasonal). **

**This chapter was sitting in my laptop but I could never find time to finish it until now! I had to make time for this because so much goes down! Xavier and Maria were a lot of fun to write, and Lydia had no choice but to witness their outrageousness. Good news…more family bonding on the way!**

**I took some of the Wanted history (in the film) and altered it a bit, but I tried to stick to the canon for the most part. Once again, I do not own anything!**

**Please Review and thank you guys for sticking with me!**


	12. Bonding

**AN: Happy New Year! Sorry for the late update! I worked 2 jobs this holiday season, and was super busy. So here you go! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 11-**Bonding

The next day, I was woken up by room service bringing me breakfast on a tray, resembling more of a buffet than a simple meal. Tim followed the waiter into the room and watched his every move as he assembled my breakfast for me.

I watched the two, prey and predator, in amusement for a while until my heart took pity on the poor boy. "This is fine. You go on ahead. I can make my own plate."

"Are you sure?" the young waiter asked me, but kept his eyes on Tim.

I smiled. "Yes, I'm sure."

The waiter nodded at me graciously and left the room quickly. "What did you say to him?" I asked Tim as I took a bite of jam and toast.

Tim shrugged, unapologetically, "Nothing…just that if you dropped dead in this room from poison, I would skin him alive with the butter knife."

A horrible image entered my head and I sat my toast back on the plate. "I need to stop eating around you guys."

"Knock knock!" Maria's voice called out from the other side of the door. Tim opened it and Maria, dressed in another tight-fitting red dress, entered with a grin on her face.

She sat next to me on the bed and asked, "How are you this morning, darling? I apologize for what you witnessed last night, but lessons had to be learned and situations dealt with. I'm sure you understand."

I nodded and she frowned. "Is there something wrong with the food? I can send for something else if you'd like."

I shook my head. "No, no, I just…" I glanced toward Tim, "Lost my appetite is all."

Maria looked at Tim also, who just nodded at her. "Well, since you're done with breakfast, would you like to spend the day together? I have the whole day planned out and I have a lot of things to tell you."

I remembered what Tim told me last night and looked at Maria. Her grin was broad, and her eyes, the very ones I inherited, were very earnest. Plus, getting out of this room would distract me, at least for a little while.

So I agreed.

"Ah, marvelous! I'll let Xavier know we're leaving and get the car ready. Let Tim know when you're dressed and we'll be on our way!" she exclaimed and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before she departed.

I turned to Tim. "Should I be scared?"

Tim shook his head at me. "You're going to a spa and shopping outlets…not a haunted house. So, no, she's not gonna murder you on the massage table or anything, if that answers your question."

* * *

A short while later, Tim handed me some fresh clothes from Maria and I freshened up and dressed. I commended Maria on her picks; a light blue, loose fitted blouse, black leggings, and stylish black boots.

Maria and a young woman met me in the lobby, Tim right behind me. Maria finished typing something on her phone and nodded towards the woman.

"This is Clara, my apprentice/assistant. She's a Fraternity member as well, one of our youngest at 19. Clara, this is my daughter, Lydia."

Clara extended her hand and I took in her exotic beauty, full lips, chocolate skin, and long dark hair. With her tiny figure, she seemed to be the last person you'd think would be an assassin, but I know to never underestimate anyone.

"Nice to meet you. So, where are we off to now?" I asked.

Maria put her phone in her large purse and link my arm with hers, leading me outside to a black town car. "Well, it seems that Xavier, our various Fraternity members, and I have received invitations to a charity ball being held at the hotel tomorrow night from the Immortal. I asked Xavier about it, and we agreed to go as a united front and settle our differences."

The four of us entered the car, with Tim sitting up front with the driver, and I squished between Maria and Clara. "Do you think it'll work? I mean, aren't you the least suspicious about this?"

"Don't worry, Lydia, _all_ of the Fraternity members will be there from _all_ of the remaining chapters. Plus, the ball is a masquerade ball, so no one will really know assassin from civilian," Clara clarified.

"She's right. And you'll be protected at every turn. Xavier may have put aside his reservations, but I have not. I will make sure all of my bases are covered," Maria said in agreement.

We arrived at a boutique not too far from the hotel, and we ushered through the back. I found out that Maria had her own "suite" reserved, so that we could shop in peace. Tim stood outside, ever the bodyguard, and the associate assigned to help us brought out several dresses for us to try on.

Clara went first, trying on three dresses before settling on a simple A-line turquoise dress. Maria turned to me after having a sip of wine and said, "Go on. Take your pick. You can have whatever you want."

The last fancy event I've ever been to was prom, and I wore a hand-me-down that was given to me by a senior since I couldn't afford a dress. When the associate unveiled several dresses to me on a rack, I took a peek at the price tag on one of them. I gasped, since it was almost as much as a car!

"I don't know. This is too expensive for a dress."

Maria waved her hand at me. "It's fine, Lydia. I can afford it. I want you to look your best, and be the princess that I know you are," she grinned.

"We only use the best materials, and all of these are hand sown and hand-embroidered," the associate agreed.

I still was unsure about it, so Clara came out of the dressing room, holding her dress, and plucked one off of the rack. "How about this? It's black, which is slimming, and the bodice has rhinestones all over it."

I looked at the dress myself and went to try it on. I immediately fell in love with it and decided not to choose another. When I rejoined the others, Maria had a caramel dress sitting in her lap, unwrapped.

"I'm going to get this one."

"Great choice. Now, onwards! We still have plenty to do on my list."

"Aren't you gonna try it on?" I asked.

"I own the store, so naturally, they have my size," Maria answered confidently.

Clara, Tim and I waited in the car while Maria took care of everything and made arrangements. Next, we hit several shops and I let Maria foot the bill as I needed fresh clothes and shoes.

* * *

A few hours later, we ended back the hotel and spent the rest of the evening at the spa. With the Fraternity all around, Tim left us to ourselves. As Clara got a massage in a private room, Maria and I had pedicures and manicures together.

I found myself enjoying it, but I was still unsure about Maria herself. When the staff left us alone for a short while, I asked, "Did you really give the order for your men to kill Wesley?"

Maria took the cucumber peels off of her eyes and sat up in her chair. I tried not to laugh at the fact that one of the deadliest assassins in the world was sitting beside me with this Michael Myers cucumber mask on her face.

"No, of course not. Wesley was doing his job by keeping you safe, just as we asked. But, I don't think Xavier told him about my involvement so he attacked my men, who in turn, defended themselves. I'm sad to say that it ended that way. I had always wanted to meet Allyse's son. From what I have heard, he was so much like her already. It really is a shame."

"It really is," I said under my breath.

"But what about you? How are you holding up? I mean,_ really _holding up? This all must be so confusing and devastating for you."

"Everything's been happening so fast that…it's a bit hard for me to catch up. I'm still…processing it all, I guess."

Maria leaned over and patted my hand. "I do apologize for what happened to your mother. I may be your biological mother, but _she_ was the woman who raised you and was there for you when I wasn't. I will always be grateful for her and what she's done for you."

Tears welled in my eyes thinking about it, and I turned my head away. I didn't want Maria to see me cry. I pulled myself together quickly and changed the subject.

"What about the Immortal? Are we just gonna let him off of the hook for everything that he's done?"

Maria leaned back in her chair and gave me a small smile. "Of course not! We all have committed sins, in one way or another, but he has committed sins against us. The way it works is that if someone commits crimes against the Fraternity, we wipe them out or the Elders come to an agreement as to what will become of them. It was a way to either punish those who had turned their backs on us and keep our brothers in line, or to avoid bloodshed. As you learned earlier, it wasn't the _greatest _system, and being ruled by greedy, power-hungry men; it led to our downfall. Xavier doesn't want history to repeat itself so agreed to a truce."

"I still don't buy that. Why would someone like the Immortal agree to terms like that? I think there's more to the story," I replied.

Maria nodded. "And I agree completely. I loved Xavier once, but he has become consumed by greed and power. He's almost as bad as the Immortal. I believe once he gets the chance, he'll kill the Immortal himself, and gain the French Fraternity and his monetary assets. I believe he wants to build an empire, and he's willing to risk _your_ life to do it, so I don't trust him. I haven't trusted him since I woke up in that hotel room, alone, 22 years ago."

"So, you have a plan?"

Maria laughed like a supervillain. "Of course I have a plan! I wouldn't have survived all these years at the hands of men without thinking ahead. I just need all of the pieces to come together at the right time. You see, Lydia, all this…will be nothing but a simple dream. This life…it's lonely, bloody, and dangerous as you have learned. _No one _makes it out alive…but I will make sure _you _will. You will have a life after this, one filled with peace and happiness. _I _will make sure of it."

"How?"

Maria laughed again. "Because…I'm going to destroy the Fraternity."

* * *

**AN: Please Review!**


	13. Masquerade

**AN: Sorry for the late update! I was working a lot and studying for a big exam. But hopefully this makes up for it!**

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**Chapter 12-**Masquerade

Soon, it was time for the big masquerade ball. I twirled around in the dress, admiring myself from head to toe in the full length bathroom mirror.

My hair was curled, but in a half-up, half-down style; my makeup was dark around my eyes, but I wore red lipstick for a pop of color. I twirled around once more, and then reached for the black clutch on the dresser.

There was a knock on my door, and I let Tim in. "Hey, you look nice," he greeted.

"Thanks. C'mon, let's get this over with," I mused. I took his arm and left the room.

We took an elevator downstairs and met Clara, who looked absolutely stunning in her dress and makeup. I noticed many others passing us in the lobby, also dressed in formal wear.

"Why are they exiting the hotel?" I asked, but then Clara and Tim escorted me outside themselves. I stared at Clara, confused.

"The ballroom had to be closed down for…emergency repairs, so now it's at the civic center down the street," Clara explained.

"What were the emergency repairs for?"

"Don't worry about it; just keep walking," Tim said to me as he glanced behind us. I peeked behind us as well and caught two more men dressed in suits. _More bodyguards_, I realized.

Several minutes later, we arrived at the center. Giant marble columns were dressed in red ribbon and green banners hung from the roof, displaying the logo for the charity ball. There was a red carpet filled with photographers, fans, and beautiful people waving and smiling.

I couldn't get a glimpse at who might be arriving as I was shuffled past the crowd and into the building. Two men approached us and asked for IDs, but Clara whispered something in one of the bouncer's ear. He nodded at the second bouncer and they unclipped the red rope to let us pass. A few people still in line began yelling at the bouncers once we passed them.

Tim let go of my arm and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Listen, I have to go on patrol, but I'll be around to keep an eye on you. Just play it cool and everything should go smoothly."

I gave him a look that said, "Yeah, right," and he just smirked before disappearing into the crowd hovering in front of the main doors.

"You ready?" Clara asked, handing me a mask.

I nodded and took a deep breath. We put on our masks in unison, and entered the room. The room was decorated quite plainly to my disappointment. There were white curtains hanging from the giant ceiling alongside the walls, round tables with white tablecloths and simple daisies painted black as the centerpieces. In the corner, there was a makeshift bar with a line already starting to form. On the other side of the room, there was a wide stage where a band was playing and a lounge singer belted out some high notes to a song I did not recognize.

Clara and I walked down the steps slowly, taking it in. Everyone had masks, most of them covering the whole face like mine. When we reached the bottom, Maria greeted us. I recognized her dress and the way it fit her body made me feel a bit insecure in mine.

"Hello, darlings! Those dresses look beautiful on you! It's too bad that I can't see your lovely faces! Anyways, what do you think of the venue? I know it's not much, but it was a pain to scramble this together under such short notice…" she commented, squeezing in between Clara and me.

"You set this up?" I asked.

"No, not really; I own the building; it was given to me as a gift from Xavier, but the owner of the charity needed a new place to hold the ball. So I offered my services…for a hefty fee," she replied. I could practically hear the smile in her voice.

Clara's phone beeped suddenly and she waved at us before wandering off into the crowd. Maria leaned closer to me and said, "Don't worry; he hasn't arrived yet. Plus, our people are everywhere. Xavier has his people checking the front doors, and my people are in the back. He won't get inside unless _we_ know about it."

I guessed that was supposed to reassure me, but then again, everyone was wearing masks. _How am I supposed to tell civilian from assassin?_ "That's great. Thanks," I replied.

Maria squeezed my shoulder and said, "I mean it, Lydia, you don't have to worry. I'll make sure to follow through on my promise. You_ will _get out of here safe and sound. So, just relax, and enjoy yourself. I have to go find your father, but I'll be close."

With that, she left me, and I inched into the crowd. I didn't turn many heads, but the ones I did turn made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to think about all of the assassins watching my every move, even though no one could tell it was me because of the mask.

Then, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to a man dressed in a navy blue suit, porcelain mask, and deep brown eyes. He held out his hand and asked, "Would you like to dance?"

I nodded and took his hand. He guided me through a short waltz and then a tango, even dipping me at the end of the song. I laughed and said, "Wow that was amazing! I never danced with anyone like that!"

"Even though I can't see your lovely face, I feel the same. You have quite the feet on you. My elder will be impressed."

My blood froze and my heart started thumping like crazy. _Elder?_

"What?"

"You heard me," his deep, baritone voice taunted, "my _elder._ My mentor, my boss…the Immortal. I'm sure you've heard of him, Lydia."

I swallowed. "How did you know it was me?"

"As you know, Maria has a certain…presence about her. The way she was holding onto you, whispering in your ear…I figured it out. And if I did, the others did too."

"Is he here?" I asked, my voice now a whisper.

He shook his head. "No, no. He's not a flashy type of guy, you know, like the others here who show up with their whole entourage. Of course he sent several of us to scout ahead. Don't worry, Lydia, we're not allowed to…commit certain acts unless provoked or ordered."

"The last thing I want to do is provoke anyone."

He laughed. "You may be an abomination, but you are gifted. It would be a shame to waste it. Farewell, Lydia Simpson."

The mystery man disappeared into the crowd. I took a few deep breaths to pull myself together and slowly eased through the crowd. I desperately wanted to get a drink, but I knew that wouldn't be the smart thing to do. Last thing I needed was to be drunk when the bullets would start flying.

Instead, I went to the bar and got a bottle of water. I sat at a nearby table and gulped it down, watching the crowd. The smidge of security I had built up in the last hour was now lost like a needle in a haystack.

I wondered if I could escape, but also knew that to be pointless. Maria or Xavier or their men would catch me before I set foot outside. I guessed my best bet now would be to try to find Maria. At least if I stayed by her side, I knew I would be safe (for now).

I threw the bottle away and eased through the crowd again, my eyes searching for her dress or Clara's. Then, someone grabbed my arm just as the singer started singing a cover of "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey.

"Yes!?" I asked in frustration.

The man dressed in a black and white suit, no tie, and a grey and blue mask, held out his hand. I sighed, since I didn't really want to dance, but I didn't want to be rude. Plus, he smelled…familiar. There was also something about him wasn't off-putting.

I took his hand and he pulled me close. He rested his hands on my hips and I placed my hands on his shoulders. We rocked back in forth to the song as other couples danced similarly around us.

I kept my head level with his chest, not wanting to look up. In my head, I was trying to decipher if he was an assassin or not, but nothing really gave anything away. I sighed as we neared the end of the song and my mystery man gave my waist a quick squeeze.

I finally looked up and into…his piercing blue eyes. _But it couldn't be…could it? Wesley…alive? That was crazy, but then again…I had seen crazier in the last 48 hours._

"Wes-Wesley? Wesley, is that you?" I asked softly, so only he would hear.

He didn't move his head; instead, he peered over my head and squeezed my waist again. My heart had sped up again, and my face was warming up.

"How did you get here? How did you know it was me? How are you even-" Before I could finish, he placed his index finger on the lips of my mask.

Then, he stared down at me for a moment, reached out for my hand to squeeze it, and disappeared into the crowd. I raced after him, but it was moot. He was gone…_poof._

"Wesley…" I whimpered, trying not to cry. I really didn't know what to feel…happy, sad, angry, or frustrated.

Clara found me in the crowd and said, "Oh, hey, there you are! Your mother is looking for you. She needs you now!"

Clara gently took my arm and started leading me in the opposite direction. I turned around, hoping to spot Wesley in the crowd. To my disappointment, I didn't.

Clara nodded to two men near the curtains on the right side of the room, and they moved them back to reveal a door. Clara led me through the door, a hallway, up two flights of stairs, and into a small office where Maria and Xavier were conversing.

There were two women and two men in the room also, one of them Tim. He nodded at me and I took the mask off since the others were also mask-less.

Clara took hers off and placed it in the nearby garbage bin. She handed me a handkerchief as well. "For the sweat. It's wet around your forehead, "Clara mentioned.

I wiped my forehead and asked, "What is going on?"

Maria walked over to me and took my hand in hers. "He's here…_the Immortal_."

My eyes widened. "_What!"_

"Yes, my dear…it's show time," Xavier grinned but Maria glared at him.

I sent a frightened look at Clara and Tim.

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	14. Truth

**AN:So I know it's been 3 months since I updated! I'm so sorry! I moved to Texas with my boyfriend, got moved in and settled, got a job, got laid off from job a few weeks later, and now I'm in the midst of job searching! Plus, the bf got me a new laptop for my birthday and I had to transfer all my stories and files. So here ya go! Chapter 13! (We're almost to the end guys!) **

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**Chapter 13-**Truth

"Is everything set?" asked Maria.

"Yes, all set and ready to go," Clara clarified.

"Good...Lydia you're up," Maria said as she clasped my shoulder.

"What?"

"You'll be joining me and the Immortal in the conference room. Don't worry, it's just a business exchange," Xavier explained as he entered the room followed by two guards.

Maria glared at Xavier before pushing me in his direction. He held his arm out and I took it before looking back at Maria. She nodded at me and Xavier sent a smirk in her direction. She rolled her eyes in response.

Tim exited the room with us and I glanced at him as my heart started hammering in my chest. He sent me a sad smile before his face smoothed out into an emotionless mask. Xavier and I continued down the hallway briskly, nodding at the various passerby. I admired the various statues and paintings on the walls as we headed down the 'hallway of hell'.

Finally, we reached two wooden doors and Xavier knocked three times. "It is I, Walter Xavier, elder of the Russian Fraternity. I have brought my daughter, Lydia."

Afterwards, Xavier knocked two more times and the doors were opened. I gasped at the man who greeted us. His hair was jet black and slicked back like Xavier's, he wore a pristine grey suit, but most of all, I gasped at his face. His face was scarred along the left side, only to fade out on the right. The grey eye on the right seemed oddly bored, and the left eye was covered with an eyepatch.

_Wow, Cross really did do a number on him, _I thought. I swallowed and dropped my eyes to the floor. The scowl on his lips formed into a smirk and he shook Xavier's hand.

"Xavier," the Immortal greeted in a thick French accent.

"Francis," Xavier greeted in return.

They dropped hands and the Immortal, or Francis, turned his attention to me. "Aww, this must be the lovely Lydia that I have heard _so _much about."

I nodded but didn't look up. I didn't want to look at the man that killed my mother. Xavier must have picked up on the awkward tension and said, "I believe we have some business matters to discuss, Francis?"

"Ah, yes." the Immortal motioned for us to enter. As Xavier and I entered, three guards left the room. I looked around and noticed that it looked just like any other conference room, except there were no windows. There were three large wooden tables, 12 chairs, 6 bookshelves covering the walls, and a laptop at the south end of room.

Standing by it, a woman, appearing to be in her 30s or so, stood, clad in an all black pantsuit. She looked up from the laptop, her piercing green eyes giving Xavier and I the onceover, and went back to whatever she was working on.

"Sit here," Xavier whispered in my ear. I sat on the left side as Xavier took his seat at the north end.

"I must say, you look quite elegant this evening, Sarah," Xavier smiled at the woman.

She scoffed and rose from her station, allowing the Immortal to sit. She ran her hand through her curled blond hair, and said, "I see you have not changed one bit, Xavier. You violate the code, break out laws, take a traitor and abomination under your protection, and yet, you still make time for small talk. I am not amused by your compliments."

I opened my mouth to say something back, but all that comes out is "OW!" as Xavier kicks me under the table. I turned to him, and he nodded at me. Then, I huffed at sat back in my chair.

"Dear Sarah, I never asked you to be amused," Xavier smirked and clasped his hands together.

The Immortal typed a few things on the laptop and turned it around for Xavier and I to see. "There it is...just what you asked. Now, where is my part of the bargain?"

Xavier rose from his seat and I eyed Sarah. The whole thing felt uneasy, but she definitely put me on edge. She was eyeing Xavier like a cat ready to pounce. I wished I had a weapon on me, but I was a prisoner.

Xavier glanced at the laptop and asked, "Have all of the contracts been signed? Everything has been released to me?"

"Everything but our Fraternity and the clothes on our backs. Now, as Francis asked, where is he?" Sarah glared.

Xavier typed away and smiled gleefully. "Thank you for doing business with me. And, I'm afraid, you will have to ask Maria."

The Immortal stood up with a jolt and I nearly fell over in my chair. He looked straight into Xavier's face and yelled, "YOU PROMISED HIM TO ME XAVIER! YOU PROMISED ME THE WESLEY BOY! I KEPT MY END OF THE BARGAIN AND GAVE YOU MY COMPANY!"

Xavier smiled back at him. "Like a gentleman, I thanked you. I, however, did not promise you Cross's boy; only the safety of my daughter. Besides, it seems that the body has...disappeared."

There was a click and suddenly, Sarah stood up, a gun in her hand...with the barrel of it facing me. I clutched my seat in shock.

"You have betrayed us once again, Xavier! We told you we would forget the code in this instance! Have you not forgotten?" Sarah asked.

"We have all violated the code, one way or another. I have a child; you both, as well as your fraternity, have begun killing innocents for profit. Maria and I know you were working with Sloan. Your elders caused the Russian Fraternity to nearly go bankrupt and Sloan offered you a chance to restore yourselves. I also know that Francis helped Sloan track down Wesley once he found out Cross was still alive. You want the kill order? Well, here, take it!"

Xavier pulled it out of his jacket and slammed it down on the table.

"I thought they were after…" I said in a small voice, very, very confused.

"Sloan made that kill order and Cross saw him do it. Like the others, he wanted your Fraternity for himself. He wanted it all for himself, and the perfect distraction was the Wesley boy. Sloan wanted you killed, Francis, and your elders sent you after his son. Of course, he retaliated. After that fight with Cross, you were ashamed and scared for your life...so you killed your own elders and took over."

"No! That can't be...can it? Is is true, Francis? Please tell me it's not true!" Sarah asked with tears in her eyes. I sighed in relief when she lowered her gun.

The Immortal walked over to a nearby bookcase and sighed, "It is...true, my dear Sarah. But I did not kill them! _Fate _wanted them dead! _I _did my duty to the Loom! _I _followed the code! And now, _I doing my will for Fate!"_

The Immortal pulled his own gun from behind the bookcase and I dove underneath the table. Sarah screamed and the doors opened. The first several guards went down in a heap and I covered my head as bullets flew all over the room. I screamed when a body crashed near me and saw the Immortal lying face down on the ground. Then, it went quiet, and Tim yelled, "Lydia! Lydia!"

"I-I'm o-okay!" I yelled back from under the table, still shaken up.

Suddenly, I was yanked out from underneath the table, and tears sprang to my eyes as I felt the barrel of a gun touch my temple.

"Walk," Xavier growled in my ear.

Sarah and Tim were the only ones standing and they back out into the hallway. I glanced around and saw Maria and about 12 members of her fraternity standing nearby with their guns drawn in our direction.

The doors opened behind them and I presumed Xavier or the Immortal's Fraternity had entered. They drew their guns at Maria's group and a few of them turned around in their direction.

"I knew I couldn't trust you," Maria scoffed.

"You know what I want Maria," Xavier said aloud.

"My dead body and my Fraternity? _Never_," Maria said menacingly.

"Let the girl go, Xavier. This is _not_ how we do things. Think about the code," Sarah said.

"Fuck the code! That's my _daughter_! And, you'll know what will happen, Sarah. You know why we're here," Maria said.

Then, it hit me. Maria was right. Xavier didn't care about me or Maria; he wanted the Fraternities. He wanted control of them and thought to kill all of the elders here. It was the only time he would be able to get them all in one place and get rid of them, leaving no one else to turn to, but him. Wesley and I were bait; we had been all along. I also realized that _Xavier_ had probably ordered to have my mother killed so I would side with him and not question his motives. I was always a pawn in his game.

"You wanted this to happen, didn't you? You planned it all out, didn't you?" I questioned.

"Not _all _of it; but yes, some was orchestrated. The Immortal wanted to see that you were still alive and wanted Wesley's body along with the kill order. But I knew Francis was desperate; he was gonna kill us all."

"What are you talking about Xavier?" Tim asked.

"He rigged the place; it's full of explosives. He planned to kill us all!" Xavier shouted back.

"He's right. I was in charge of the project myself," Sarah confirmed.

"Just let her go, Xavier, and this won't be the end of us all. We can choose another way," Maria said.

Xavier's grip tightened and he smirked, "Sorry, my dear, but I have an empire to run."

I closed my eyes and braced for death, and suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The grip on me loosened, and the barrel disappeared from my forehead. I heard a thud behind me and a groan as Xavier fell to the ground.

"Surprise, douchebag!" Wesley called out.

My head snapped to the conference room and Wesley, clad in a black suit with a black mask and orange goggles, entered with a sniper rifle in his hands.

"Wesley!" I breathed out in relief.

"And guess what? I have the detonator," Wesley taunted as Xavier rolled over and pointed his gun as Wesley.

"Drop it," Tim ordered as he placed his gun on Xavier's forehead.

Xavier sighed and laid back onto the floor. "Is...is it over?" I asked.

I spoke too soon as I noticed the Immortal move the hand with his gun in it and point it at Wesley.

"NO!" I screamed as I ran towards him. In the span of a few seconds, the Immortal's gun rang out, I pushed Wesley out of the way, and felt the bullet hit the bodice of my dress as we tumbled to the ground.

As darkness threatened to overtake me, I saw the Immortal reached for the laptop and press a button. Suddenly, alarms rang out in the building and as Wesley screamed my name over and over.

By then, I had blacked out.

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**AN: Please Review!**


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